Beginning from the End
by ILoveToReadRomance
Summary: Post PP: The world is safe and it's time to regain relative normalcy. Key word: relative. Danny's life now involves being a hero, a revealed secret, a new relationship, a shock of a change, the return of a friend, a new way of life and so much more. INCOMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom. Obviously, considering this is a _fan_fiction site.

* * *

Danny Fenton and Sam Manson are sitting on a hill overlooking Amity Park's city hall, where Tucker the mayor was currently presenting the Danny Phantom statue. "I can't believe you didn't want to attend your own ceremony," Sam said incredulously.

"Well, you know me. I kinda like sitting on the sidelines sometimes," Danny replied, smiling.

"And your folks are cool with knowing your secret identity?" Sam turned to look at him.

"Yeah. The time for secrets is over. The world is safe, time for new beginnings. My dad even says he wants me to team up with him now. Says I can be _his_ sidekick."

"You're a big star now, probably the biggest in the world_." I can't believe I might be losing him. After we finally realized what we feel for each other,_ she thought.

"Yeah, it's weird huh?"

"You'll probably get pretty busy."

"What else is new?"

"And… I probably won't see much of you anymore." Sam averted her eyes as she said this.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that." Danny removed his class ring from his pocket. _I'm glad I never ended up giving this to Valerie. _"Sam, I could never have done any of this without you," he said, slipping it on her left ring finger. Although he was looking down, he saw out of the corner of his eye that hers were wet. _Good, this means as much to her as it does to me._ "And I don't care what's coming next. I just hope that, whatever it is, you're there to share it with me." Danny looked up, smiling at who was now his girlfriend.

Sam felt overjoyed, which was quite something since she was a Goth. "I will be." Thinking of her reputation, she blinked the tears out of her eyes and said, "I just have to warn you, I'm no pushover you know. I still have my own way of doing things."

"That's what I'm counting on." The two held hands and leaned forward into a kiss.

Meanwhile, in space, Vlad Plasmius was sitting on a floating space rock, his head in his hands. He lost everything he gained. But he's trying to cheer himself up. "Actually, being a free roaming space nomad isn't half bad. At least it's quiet and I- OH!" At that moment, the Disasteroid, having gone through an intangible Earth, crashed into Vlad. The rock he was sitting on was blasted to pieces.

Back on Earth, Danny stood up. "What do you say, want to go for a ride?" he asked while changing into Danny Phantom. "See where the future takes us?"

Sam stood up as he finished his sentence, taking his hands. "Why not?" she replied, smiling. Danny picked her up bridal style and took off into the air. As they flew past City Hall, Sam remarked, "Cool statue. Personally, I would have made it out of recycled materials but, you know, that's just me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thank you to my first reviewer, aemroxs. You made me feel special! :)

**Disclaimer: **Danny Phantom? Nope, not mine. This story is though.

* * *

Danny smiled as they flew around Amity Park. Some people saw them, but it didn't matter now. Danny didn't even bother to turn invisible. The two were lost in thought and in each others eyes. After a while, Sam spoke. "It's really odd actually."

Danny blinked, confused. "What is?"

"Oh, just that sometimes you fly with a tail and sometimes with legs. It's never consistent."

Danny looked down. He changed his tail into his legs and back again. "Huh. Now that you mention it, it's like breathing. Involuntary until you think about it." Sam watched as he continued to change the form of the lower half of his body. "Why'd you bring it up?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've been wondering about it for a while, that's all. I don't know what it's like to be half-ghost."

"Do you want to be one?" Danny asked, suddenly wondering if she wanted the life he had.

Sam was silent for a moment, thinking. "It depends. It would give us something common to deal with. Maybe it would link us together even more."

"So what's your answer?"

"Yes, I think. I'd enjoy the advantages and the powers. It's not like it would change my life much. I'm already fighting ghosts in my spare time." Sam looked at Danny and smiled. He smiled back at her.

Danny glanced down at the ground and noticed that he was near his house. He landed on the roof and let Sam stand, although he kept an arm around her. They sat down and looked at the stars that were beginning to come out. Unexpectedly, they heard the voice of a young girl scream: "DANNY!" They turned around to see Danielle in ghost form standing behind them. "I've been hoping you'd come here! Oh, hey Sam," she added, waving.

Sam and Danny smiled at her. "Hey Danielle. Thanks for helping save the world." Danny said.

She laughed. "Anytime. I came looking for you to ask a question." Her expression turned to a wary one. "I need a place to live. Wandering around isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm stabilized, but I'm more naive than I thought I was. I don't know everything a normal thirteen-year-old does. Could you help me find a home?"

Danny wasn't surprised that she had brought up a topic he had been thinking about ever since she left the last time. She _was_ his clone. "I think I have one in mind."

Dani's face lit up. "You do? Where?"

"Here."

Her face, if possible, filled with more happiness. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do. I just have to ask my parents. And I'm pretty sure they'll let you stay." Danny stood up and Sam did as well. He gestured for Dani to follow them into his house. "Mom? Dad?"

"We're down in the lab, son," Maddie called back.

Danny phased down through the floor while holding Sam's hand. "Lazy," muttered Sam. "Why can't you just use the stairs?" Danny just laughed in reply.

Maddie, Jack and Jazz Fenton looked up when Danny and Sam landed on the floor. "I'd like you to meet someone. Her name is Danielle." At this, Dani appeared in the doorway. She transformed into her human form. The resemblance between Danny and the girl was striking. Maddie gasped, Jack restrained himself from leaping at her with a ghost weapon ―old habits die hard― and Jazz just looked puzzled. "She's a clone... of me." Danny then launched into the tale of how he had met Danielle, explaining how he had stabilized her and rescued her from Vlad. And how she needed a home. When he was finished, Maddie ran over to the young girl and enveloped her into a hug. Jack and Jazz joined her.

"Of course she can stay here," Maddie half sobbed. "She's practically my daughter anyways. She can have the extra bedroom."

Danny grinned and joined in the family group hug. Sam would have stayed back, but Danny pulled her towards them. _Ah, what the heck,_ she thought, and allowed him to hug her as well as his family.

Eventually, they all broke away from each other. "So we'll go tomorrow and buy Danielle some things to call her own as well as some furniture for her room." Maddie declared.

Danny glanced at his watch, surprised at how the time had flown. "I have to take Sam home now. I'm on thin ice with her parents as it is." And with that, he picked up his girlfriend and took off.

They were halfway to her house when Sam said, "That was really sweet of you to get your parents to adopt Danielle."

Danny shrugged, embarrassed. "I couldn't think of a more accepting family for her. There's already a half-ghost in our house anyways. She's not a normal kid, that's for sure, and we're not a normal family." Memories flickered in his mind as he said this.

Sam kissed his cheek. "So, how are you going to live with another sister? Doesn't the one you have already drive you crazy?"

Danny laughed. "She used to. But, either I understand her better or she's changed. We get along pretty well now."

Sam smiled. "I know. She's grown on me too."

They had arrived at Sam's doorstep now. He set her down and checked his watch again. "Ten thirty. Good. Plenty of time to spare, since you're supposed to be home by eleven." After changing into Danny Fenton, he made a move to ring the doorbell. Sam stopped him, confused.

"Are you coming in?"

"Of course I am. I have to get your parent's approval for us to date. Mine were fine with it from the start. Actually, they were more ecstatic than anything." Danny shook his head at how clueless he had been; everyone else knew how perfect he and Sam were for each other, except him.

"You're really old fashioned aren't you?" Sam glanced at the class ring as she asked this.

Danny didn't answer as he rang the doorbell.

Sam's father opened the door. "Hello Sam. And Daniel." Sam was as shocked as Danny when her father smiled warmly at her boyfriend. He stepped aside to let Sam in.

"If you don't mind Mr. Manson, I was wondering if I could come inside as well."

Slightly confused, Jeremy Manson complied. Danny walked into Sam's house after her. She led her father and her boyfriend into her sitting room. "Can you get Mom for me?" she asked her father. He nodded and walked off to find her. Sam turned to look at Danny. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Positive. Besides, I can use my ghost powers if your dad tries to kill me," he joked.

"You might have to," she murmured. She took a seat on one of the five couches in the room and motioned for Danny to join her. He sat down next to her just as footsteps alerted them to the arrival of Sam's parents. They entered the room and both smiled at the two teens. They seated themselves across from Danny and Sam.

"We gathered that you wanted to tell us something," Pamela addressed Danny.

He nodded. "I came to tell you that I've asked Sam to be my girlfriend." He glanced at Sam and she understood what he was silently asking her. She held up her left hand to show her parents the Wes/Sam ring.

Pamela gave a slight gasp and Jeremy's face hardened slightly. _Our baby's growing up,_ they thought simultaneously. They quickly composed themselves and smiled warmly at the young couple.

"I have to say my boy, I thought it would be harder to see my daughter going steady with someone, but with you it just seems to fit. I also want to thank you for coming to tell us instead of us finding out from the news. Now that I know you're a hero I also know that you aren't going to be a bad influence on our daughter." Jeremy walked over to Danny and held out his hand. Danny stood up and shook hands with Sam's father. Pamela walked over to Sam, who stood up as well, and embraced her daughter. Normally, Sam would have squirmed away, but she decided to let her mother get away with hugging her. Just this once. Jeremy let go of Danny's hand and went over to hug Sam. Pamela moved over to Danny. After a moment of staring at him, she gave him a hug also. Sam's parents returned to the couch they had been sitting on and the teens sat down as well.

"But we do have some rules," Pamela added. Danny nodded. He had expected this. "First off, if you are going to be in this house visiting Sam, we'd like to know you're here. And it's preferred that you use the door," she said with a wink.

"Also, if you're going to take Sam out of this house, we'd like to know," Jeremy said. "And your curfew is still set in place," he told Sam, who nodded. "That's pretty much it. We've decided to allow you to continue ghost hunting and what not, just as long as we know where you are or where you're going." Sam didn't like her parents keeping tabs on her, but she supposed it was reasonable since they were letting her fight ghosts with Danny.

Danny glanced at his watch. He should be getting home now. "Thank you for your time Mr. and Mrs. Manson."

"Anytime Daniel," Pamela responded.

"You can call me Danny."

Pamela and Jeremy nodded and walked off, leaving Danny and Sam alone in the sitting room. Sam saw Danny turn to her. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sam laughed. "I guess not. You have to go now, don't you?"

Danny sighed. "Yeah. I hope I'll get to see you tomorrow."

"Me too." Sam stood up and grabbed his hand, leading him to the front door. She opened it and stood in the doorway. Danny walked out and turned to face her.

"Goodnight Sam," he said before he pulled her close and kissed her.

"Night Danny." He went ghost and kissed her again before flying into the air. Once at the height of most rooftops, he turned and waved. She waved back. She watched him fly out of sight before she went back inside and closed the door behind her. Her parents were off somewhere in the mansion so she headed off to her bedroom. She changed into a t-shirt and PJ pants and climbed into bed. Content, she felt sleep claim her almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Danny had arrived back at his house. He phased through his window since he saw that his family was already asleep. He became human again and landed on his bed. Looking out at his window, he began to reminisce about Sam. Eventually, he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Thank you to my reviewers! You actually made me get up and dance. My family now has another reason to contemplate taking me to a mental hospital!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it. Never have, never will.

By the way, for visualization purposes, this chapter is very similar to the beginning of the episode "Maternal Instinct."

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly. Searches of space indicated that Vlad was hit by the Disasteroid and did not survive due to its Ecto-Ranium exterior. The asteroid's path brought it to the sun, where it had burned up.

Valerie gave up on ghost hunting. She decided that her grudge should end. Besides, her doctor said her blood pressure level was rising. She finally moved out of her grimy apartment with her dad.

Masters Blasters' made a public statement saying that they didn't know that Vlad was evil. They were found innocent after being tried in court. To their relief, no one shunned them. They gave up ghost hunting and are still searching for new jobs.

The Guys in White were fired for attempting to destroy the Ghost Zone. They understand that they were hypocrites once they realized that destroying the Ghost Zone would have destroyed Earth. They accepted that Danny is a hero and have no plans to hunt him again.

* * *

"First, transformation." Sam and Tucker were spending their free weekend helping Danny check up on his powers.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Do we really have to keep doing this part?"

"Hey, it's tradition man. Just do it." Tucker said.

Danny shook his head in disbelief. "Fine. I'm goin' ghost!" Two white rings spread in different directions from his middle. His bare arms were covered in gloves, lower legs in white boots, his outfit changed into a black hazmat suit with a white emblem on it, his eyes changed from sky blue to ectoplasmic green, and his black hair became white. "Check!"

"Next test, intangibility," said Sam. Danny turned intangible and flew through an array of objects, ranging from pillows to concrete, and a variety of ghost weapon energy blasts. Danny was still struggling to remember that he could phase through rays.

"Check!" he called back to his friends.

"Now try to make specific things intangible."

Danny focused hard for this part. He placed his hand on the table with an assortment of objects on it. He alternated which ones he turned intangible and which ones he left tangible. He succeeded in making his power go around one item and hitting the next, making it phase through the table. Sam was ready to catch them before they hit the ground and broke.

Tucker glanced at their list. "Ghost sense?" They were trying to adapt his powers to detect half-ghosts. On cue, Danielle flew in through the basement wall. She had Danny's cell phone in her hand which Tucker had contacted her with. She had been on the other side of town to be out of range until they wanted to test it out. Danny tried to concentrate on his involuntary detection. Maybe he could will it to adapt. Amazingly, a purple-blue wisp came out of his mouth.

"I did it!" he cried.

"Ok, now let's try her human form," Sam suggested.

Danny snatched his cell phone from Danielle's hand and flew far away so that he could move back in range after she was human. He was really fast now; he was able to reach Lake Eerie (with two E's!) before the phone vibrated to tell him that it was time to return. He sped back to his house as fast as he could. Once he got there, he continued to keep his pace until Tucker measured his speed. "224 mph! Nice, you doubled it, dude."

Danny landed. The wisp of purple-blue mist escaped from his mouth again. "YES! Finally!" He'd been trying for the past week to sense a half-ghost. In his excitement, he scooped Sam up in his arms and kissed her. Dani and Tucker rolled their eyes. Sam kissed him back for a moment, but broke away.

She grinned at him and asked, "Ghost ray?" as she hit a button that brought up several targets. Danny hit them all dead on. Tucker and Sam activated the Fenton ghost defenses in the house to distract him, and put up new targets. Danny avoided all of the house's attacks and still hit all the targets on their marks.

"Go Danny!" Danielle yelled, beaming in excitement.

Danny turned and smiled at his little sister. At that moment, the house fired a large missile at him. He felt, rather than saw, it coming and turned intangible. The missile passed harmlessly through him. Sam made it explode before it hit anything by shooting it with a gun. "Nice shot," he complimented his girlfriend. She smiled at him as she turned off the house's attacks.

Tucker cleared his throat. Loudly. "Invisibility."

Danny scoffed at the fact they still had to cover this. But he complied anyways and disappeared from view. "Check!" he said, turning visible again.

"Wall walking." Dani said enthusiastically; she enjoyed being a part of his routine ghost power check-up. Danny climbed up the wall and walked onto the ceiling. He looked up—or down depending on who your perspective—at his friends and sister.

"Next?"

"Flying," Danielle replied.

Danny rolled his eyes at the simplicity of this power. He back-flipped off the wall and hovered around. "Happy?"

"Hey, don't blame me, it's on the list," she countered.

He laughed. "True."

"Overshadowing," Sam put in.

Danny flew into Tucker before he could object. "Hi, I'm Tucker and I used my techno-geek-ness to help save the world." Tucker's eyes didn't change colour and his voice was normal, meaning the point of practicing undetectable overshadowing had been fulfilled. Danny then proceeded to make Tucker walk around, pick up his various electronic devices, and kiss them. Once he did that, he flew out of the techno geek.

Tucker shook his head, disoriented. "Well, it was nicer than you've been before, but you still made fun me."

Danny shrugged. "It's a habit, I guess."

"Ghost shield," Sam interrupted, grabbing a Fenton Wrist Ray. She grinned devilishly as she donned the accessory of pain. She fired it at Danny. He first created a domed shield that absorbed the power. She fired again and he made one that caused the attack to bounce off. Seeing that the ray was going to hit Sam, he acted on instinct, shooting what looked like a ghost ray from his hand, but it turned out to be another domed shield. It wrapped itself around Sam and absorbed the blast.

"Cool! How'd you do that?" cried Dani.

Danny stared at his hand. "I-I'm not sure. I just did this:" he shot another blast from his hand at her and created another shield. "Well, at least I can repeat it," he said. "Now you guys don't have to worry about getting hit by a ghost if I can't get there in time."

"Let's work on aiming it a bit," suggested Sam. Danny did so and it seemed he was as good at aiming the projectile shield as he was with his ghost ray.

"Next?" he asked, grinning.

"Duplication," said Tucker.

Danny narrowed his eyes in concentration. He successfully duplicated himself into six copies. "Awesome!"

"That's just the easy part; now we have to get you to hold the forms," Sam reminded him.

Danny sighed. "Right. Hit me with your best shot."

Dani, Tucker and Sam all grabbed a weapon. Sam also pressed the button that activated the house's attacks. The three (and the house) aimed and shot at each one of the Dannys. One turned intangible, the second protected himself with a domed shield, the third fired a ghost ray to neutralize the blast, the fourth simply dodged it and used a projectile shield to keep the wall intact, the fifth used an ice ray to defend himself and the sixth made a rebounding shield.

"Great job," Sam told everyone while Tucker turned off the ghost defenses in the house. Danny became one again. "Which brings us to your ice powers." At this, Sam pressed another button, bringing up the containment cell that had once held ghosts injected with Ecto-Dejecto. Danny stepped through the door and closed it behind himself. He made ice radiate out of his body, causing a thick layer of it to coat the walls. Sam pressed a button that caused the chamber to defrost all the ice. Danny then used his hands to fire ice rays at the walls. After these defrosted, he used his eyes to write "DF/P + SM" in a heart. Sam blushed while she smiled. He also made a snowball and shifted it into a diamond.

He phased his hand through the glass and handed it to Sam with a wink. "Ghostly wail's next?"

Everyone nodded. This was another reason Danny was in the glass box; it contained Danny's most powerful power.

Danny took a deep breath. When he exhaled, the sound of ghostly moaning was heard. It rattled the chamber and Dani, Sam and Tucker's eardrums. Danny continued to stay in ghost form, even after he finished his attack. "Sweet!" He turned intangible and phased through the glass wall. Dani pressed the button that put the cell away. "So is that it?"

"Yep!" his friends replied in unison.

"Awesome!" Danny reverted back to his human state. "Who wants to go to the Nasty Burger?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **I love you all! Not lying; I love anyone who reads my stories and I'm especially fond of those who review. Reviews fill my heart with joy!

Just a side note, 224 mph is 360 km/h. I'm Canadian, but I decided to use American measurements since the show is, well, American.  
Oh, and the United States of America rocks! Just putting that out there. I'm a proud Canadian, but that doesn't mean that I can't love the USA too. All countries rock in their own way as well. Let's hear it for national pride!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I'm not Butch Hartman. _STOP RUBBING IT IN!_ ...Sorry, didn't mean to shout.

Dedicated to aemroxs. Thanks for the suggestion!

* * *

"Look! It's Danny Phantom as Danny Fenton!" A variation of this phrase was yelled or screamed out when Danny finally appeared out of his house for the first time since he had saved the world. It was for this reason that he had been avoiding going outside. But you can only spend so many hours trapped in your own house. Fans followed Danny around everywhere, asking for his autograph. Sam was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't letting it go to his head like he had with his popularity in the past.

Paulina was by far the most devoted. Danny had looked out his window (while invisible so he wouldn't invoke a fan frenzy) once to see her trying to convince her father to let her camp outside his door. To his relief, she had been dragged home. Although this hadn't stopped her. She would hang around outside his house during the day, hoping he would come and see her. It was because of this that she was directly in front of him as he opened his front door. Danny knew he could have just flown invisibly to their favourite hangout; however, he had decided against it. He had to confront her sometime.

"Danny!" she squealed.

Danny tried to smile at her, but the result was more of a grimace. "Hi Paulina." Danny noticed Sam inch closer to him protectively, which amused him. She had no reason to be jealous. He couldn't even remember what he had ever liked about Paulina. Maybe it had been her popularity.

Sam hoped he would keep his head. Or else she'd have to slap him silly. Or maybe kiss him. Both ways would probably work.

"I've been wondering," Paulina cooed, stroking his chest, making Danny back away slightly. "If you would like to go out on a date with me."

Danny took a deep breath. He wasn't used to having to turn girls down. Also, being mean sucked and he wanted to do this carefully. "Well, you see… it's just… that is… um…" he stuttered.

Seeing Danny trying to turn Paulina down, but gently, warmed Sam's heart. Even for something like this he was too kindhearted. "He's dating me," Sam interrupted, grabbing his left hand and showing Paulina hers.

Paulina's eyes filled with rage as she saw the ring. "Are you trying to steal him from me?" she screeched, lunging at Sam. Danny intercepted her attack.

"Don't you dare hurt her," he growled.

Shocked at his reaction and at being turned down by him, Paulina turned around and ran home sobbing.

"Thanks for the help," Danny said to Sam.

"Anytime."

Of course, many fans had now witnessed the first fangirl being turned down. Some reporters were also there and began asking Danny frantic questions. Annoyed, he gestured for Dani, who was still in ghost form, to turn Tucker invisible. She nodded and did so. Sam held her hand out to Dani and she took it. Danny flew off, carrying their weight with the help of his little sister.

Once they were out of sight of those who were outside his door, he made them visible again. Sam gasped. "Danny!"

He whipped around to see what had alarmed her. "What?"

_Wow, he's high strung. Always quick to assume that surprise is a bad thing._ "You're flying in human form."

"I am?" He looked down. "I am!" _How did I not notice that?_

"Cool man!" Tucker exclaimed.

"I wonder if I'll be able to do that someday," Dani said. Deciding suddenly that she'd rather be human when they reached their destination, she quickly transformed.

Her brother replied, "Probably, considering the circumstances." Danny and Dani didn't like mentioning that she was a clone. Sam and Tucker followed their example, as did Jazz. "Well, let's go get some lunch," Danny said and continued to fly them to Nasty Burger.

Once the restaurant was in view, it was obvious there were more people ready for interviews. Groaning, the four landed. Immediately, reporters swarmed at them. But it was soon evident that they weren't there for Danny.

"Mr. Mayor, what's this about a peace treaty?"

"Mr. Foley, is it true that you're planning to build a new rec-centre?"

"We've heard that you've talked to the president. Could you make comment, Tucker?"

Tucker's name was repeated numerous times followed by some sort of question.

"Are you a virgin, Danny?" (Okay, so maybe one of them was for Danny.)

Danny just stared that the person who asked the last question**. **_Why would anyone in their right mind ask that?_

Tucker waved the questions off, pushing his way to the door of the fast-food place. _You make a few changes to the town you're mayor of, and suddenly hundreds of people want to ask thousands of questions,_ he thought. He walked up to the counter, ordered their lunch and paid. He _was _the only one with an income so far. Tucker led his friends over to a booth, noticing their curiosity. He sat down and said, "Go ahead, ask your questions."

"What was that all about?" Danny, Sam and Danielle asked in unison.

Tucker sighed. "Just some things I've decided to put in place for Amity Park."

"And they are..?" Sam said, urging him to continue.

"A ghost and human peace treaty. That's why I went to talk to the president this past week. As well as a ghost and human recreational centre. I've figured out that many ghosts just fight Danny for entertainment. So, I'm proposing that we build a rec centre where ghosts can fight humans. They won't be able to hurt the ghosts, of course. Humans will be given weapons that can only stun the ghost for a while to give them an advantage. And vice versa. People who want to be like you, Danny, will be trained to fight ghosts. I already have a couple trainers lined up. Danny's parents want to be able to still put their expertise to use, but don't want to hunt ghosts anymore since two of their kids are half-ghosts. And Victoria, Jude and Bruce are also future employees." Tucker saw the confused looks of his friends. "Oh, right. You guys don't know the real names of ex-Masters' Blasters members. Vid's name is actually Victoria, Jude is Download and Bruce's nickname was Thrash."

Sam, Danny and Dani sat there, absorbing the information. "You're actually a really good mayor, Tuck," Sam said, disbelief coating her words.

Tucker snorted. "You don't have to sound so surprised. I won fair in square after all."

"You deserve it. Your ideas are great! This will lighten the load of the ghosts I have to hunt," Danny said happily.

"You caught on to that, didn't you," Tucker said, smiling.

"Not all the ghosts will agree to keep the peace treaty," Danny explained to the girls, who surprisingly hadn't understood.

"But since the Observants and Clockwork have, the ones who don't will face some sort of consequence. And the president has agreed to put up laws to prevent any human from breaking the treaty as well. Oh, by the way, Danny and Sam, I've put you two in charge of law enforcement. Which means I've gotten you guys a paying job."

"Thanks Tuck!"

Tucker smiled. "No problem."

"Hey, could I train at the rec-centre?" Dani asked Tucker.

"Sure! I'll put you down for a membership once I get back to work. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet Jazz."

Confused, Danny asked, "Jazz? Why?"

"Because we're dating."

"WHAT?" roared Danny.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Me? Own Danny Phantom? HAHA! This amuses me...well obviously, I laughed didn't I?

* * *

Tucker's eyes widened in surprise. "Chill, man."

Danny, still yelling, replied, "I'm not going to chill when my best friend is dating my _sister_!" His eyes had turned green. Noticing this and knowing that it wasn't a good thing, Sam laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. He visibly became more relaxed at her touch. He glanced at her.

"Danny, you know Tucker would never want to hurt Jazz. He likes her too much," Sam said, trying to fully calm him down.

"Wait, you knew?" Tucker and Danny asked in unison.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Of course I knew. It's a girl thing."

"I've only been here for a week and I already noticed," Dani put in.

"I really am clueless," Danny muttered. "Which means you should be, but apparently you aren't," he addressed Dani.

She shrugged. "Like Sam said, it's a girl thing."

Danny just shook his head in disbelief. "How long have you been going out?" he asked Tucker. Sam was relieved to hear that his voice was even.

"Well, she asked me out while we were at your ceremony. You know, the one where I presented the statue." Danny nodded for him to continue. "I said yes, obviously. I'd been crushing on her ever since I saved her from falling when we battled Nocturne. She told me she'd been interested since around the same time."

Sam nodded. "I'd noticed something was up. First of all, you'd stopped acting like a ladies' man, which you never were or will be-"

"Hey!" Tucker interrupted. Sam ignored him and continued.

"And you've also just had a sort of chemistry with her all of a sudden. I thought something was up, even if you two wouldn't do anything about it. And just this past week it's just fit. The fact that she's applied to be your secretary and then was hired-"

"It looks good on collage applications and she's gifted in that area," Tucker justified.

"How you say you're too busy to hang out because of work-"

"Which is true."

"-On the same nights Jazz doesn't come home until really late." Tucker made no comment. Sam raised her eyebrows but continued. "And last but not least, there have been a couple 'blushy' moments like the ones Danny and I used to have."

"Blushy?" Danny repeated incredulously.

"Hey, you find an existing word that works with the situation!"

Danny laughed. "So why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I was waiting for Tucker and Jazz to tell you. I owe him anyways, for not telling you about how I felt. Which begs the question: Why isn't Jazz here to break the news?" she asked, turning to Tucker.

"She had some paperwork for the treaty and such to do. She wanted to be here when I told you, but that stuff can't be put off, plus we'd been putting off telling you all week. She hated keeping the secret from you, but we didn't know how to break it to you. So, as you can tell, I just outright told you."

Danny stared at Tucker for a moment, thinking. "Fine. You're forgiven for hiding this from me. But keep in mind that if you guys get into any fights I'll be inclined to take Jazz's side no matter what."

Tucker smiled. "Will do." He glanced at the clock on his PDA. "Well, that took a little longer than expected. Ah well. Better late than never." He stood up. "See you guys later," he called as he left Nasty Burger.

Danny turned to his little sister. "_You're _not dating anyone in secret are you?" he asked, only half joking.

"Actually..." she replied.

Danny let his head fall and hit the table. "Great. Just great," his voice muffled since his face was smushed against the tabletop.

Dani laughed, sounding a lot like her brother. "Kidding! No way would I be dating when I know a grand total of two boys, both of which aren't single."

"Haha. You're hilarious," Danny said in a muffled monotone.

"Danny, get your face off the table. I have limited faith in the staff's cleaning abilities."

Sam had brought up a good point. "Fine." He lifted his head to look at his girlfriend. "Happy?"

"Very," she replied, smiling. He smiled back at her.

"Ugh." Danny and Sam turned to look at Dani sitting across the table from them. "Sorry. I'm happy for you guys and all... but I'm gonna go home before I puke up my burger." With that, she transformed into Dani Phantom and flew off after waving to the two of them. She didn't have to hide her identity since she was already famous for being Danny's sister. But the world didn't know about her being Danny's clone and they wanted to keep it that way.

"Well, now that she's gone, what do you say you and I go on our first date?" Danny asked.

Sam smiled. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

Danny thought for a moment. "I know!"

"So, where is it?"

Danny smirked. "I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to trust me."

"I already do."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "That was surprisingly cheesy coming from you."

Sam slapped him playfully, but still hard, causing Danny to rub his arm with his hand. "I said it because it's true, and you know it."

Danny laughed and held his hand out to her. She took it and they walked out the door. This turned out to be a mistake. Reporters, still hoping for an interview with Danny, were suddenly all screaming out random questions. Quickly, he scooped Sam up in his arms and flew away after turning them invisible. Sam felt a slight change in temperature in Danny as he transformed.

"What's the need for going ghost if you can fly as a human?"

"I can fly faster this way. I'm pretty sure I can use all my powers in human form, but all of them would probably be stronger when I'm a ghost." Having reached their destination, Danny landed and set Sam down. "Know where we are yet?"

Sam looked around. "Yeah. This is the park you trained Cujo the ghost dog and where we first learned Valerie was into hunting ghosts."

"And the place where you gave me my first kiss," Danny added.

Sam blushed. "It was a fake-out make-out," she mumbled.

"I enjoyed it anyways." Sam looked him in the eyes as he took her hands in his. "This was the place I first realized how I felt about you. It came on slowly, I'm sure you can tell, but this is where it started. I was disappointed when you said it wasn't a real kiss. I'm just glad I'm with you now." At this, he fingered the ring he had given her. Danny took a deep breath. "I love you, Sam."

Sam beamed. "I love you too, Danny." He smiled and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and passionate, yet chaste. After a while, they broke apart.

Danny motioned for her to sit on the ground with him. She did and leaned into him. He put his arm around her. They were still for a moment, before a voice with a slight Hispanic accent broke the silence.

* * *

**Author's Note:** They said I love you! Are you squealing and jumping up and down? Probably not. But I am! I _knew _that fifth chocolate bar was a bad idea. But hey, watcha gonna do about it? What's done is done, in the words of ...er, a Shakespeare play. Don't expect me to know, I'm not _that_ nerdy!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I only own Danny Phantom in my dreams.

Dedicated to JuneLuxray for encouraging me while I was feeling kinda down. Thanks again!

* * *

"Danny!" Paulina called out.

He reluctantly looked away from Sam. Paulina was running over to them, pulling an unenthusiastic-looking Dash behind her. "This is my new boyfriend. You know Dash, right?"

Dash stared at Danny, who couldn't decipher Dash's expression. It seemed to be one of reverence and caution at the same time. Also, a bit of disgust for Paulina was evident in the way he glanced at her. "We're not da- oof!" Paulina had elbowed him in the stomach. She glared at him, causing him to back track quickly. "That is, we just started going out today."

Paulina flashed a sickeningly sweet smile at Danny. Sam mimed barfing. _Geez, now she's trying to make him jealous? Why can't she take no for an answer?_

Paulina started talking a mile a minute. "We met and I was like: Wanna go out? And he was all: Sure, and I was like: Great! So then I sent a crazy amount of text messages to all my friends and when I told them me and Dash were dating, they were like: No way, and I was all: Yes way! And then we went to the mall and got manicures and bought lots of shoes and clothes on our daddies' credit cards!"

"Again, I could stand in a puddle of you and not get my feet wet," Sam said.

"Are you calling me shallow? I am _not _shallow! Just because I care about what other people think about me and shun the unpopular kids doesn't mean I'm shallow!"

"Can we go now?" Sam whispered to Danny.

"I wish we'd left earlier," he replied. He turned them intangible and sank into the ground.

"Like, come back, where are you going?" they heard Paulina whine before they were completely out of sight.

"I'm sorry our date was ruined." Danny apologized.

"It's ok. I guess that's the price to pay for dating the biggest hero in the world." Danny shifted uncomfortably. _It's so adorable how he's embarrassed for being so famous._ She pecked him on the lips, surprising him.

"What was that for?"

"Being yourself." Sam smiled.

Danny kissed her back. "Same reason," he explained.

"Let's go to your house."

Danny answered by nodding.

Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie Fenton were tinkering around in their lab again. "It's no use Jack," Maddie sighed. "We've tried brainstorming different things all week but there's no other way."

Jack shook his head. "I know Maddie, but we have to persevere."

She smiled encouragingly. "Nice word, hon."

"Seems the Word of the Day Calendar you gave me for Christmas has some use after all." And with that, they returned to working.

Maddie sighed again. "Jack, the figures show there's no other way; someone will have to turn it on from the inside."

Jack was dismayed. "But who?"

"Dad, Mom, I'm home!" Danny called, having just entered through the front door.

"We're down in the lab, Danny," Maddie called back.

Sam and Danny walked down the basement stairs. "What you working on?" Danny asked.

"The Fenton Portal." his parents replied.

Sam asked, "You fixed it?"

"Not yet." Maddie explained, "There's still some work to do. And when it's done, it'll only be able to be turned on manually."

Sam looked at Danny. His expression was unfathomable. "Does it _need_ to work?" he asked his dad.

"If we want to get that peace treaty signed it does."

"What about Vlad's portal?"

"Due to the fact that he's no longer alive, Vlad didn't change his portal's ecto-filtrator. And no one remembered change it for him, so, yesterday, his portal and mansion exploded," Maddie replied.

"Darn it," Danny muttered to himself. In a voice everyone could hear, he said, "So the only way the portal can be fixed is by pressing the on button that's in it."

"There's no other way. It seems you need human DNA to link the two worlds permanently in one place."

Sam thought of something. "Wait, how'd Tucker get in the Ghost Zone to talk to the Observants and Clockwork?"

"He used the Infi-Map. But he had to take it back to Frostbite afterwards," Jack told her.

"So... who's going to go inside when the time comes?" Danny asked warily.

"Can't be me, can't be Maddie. Turns out there's an age limit. Anyone over 16 is risky."

"So that also takes Jazz out since she's 18. We've seen how Tucker is with ghost powers; it's not a good thing, I can't go since it will remove my powers like last time, and the same will happen to Danielle."

"So that leaves..." Maddie and Jack looked at Sam.

"No. No way. Not going to happen!" Danny's voice was rising in volume.

"Danny, someone needs to and I'm the only one that fits the requirements!" _Why is he being so stubborn?_

He yelled, "I don't want to see you in pain!"

Maddie interrupted. "We've invented a way for the process to be painless."

Danny still shook his head. "No. I've infected Sam's life with ghosts enough." His voice was full of self-loathing as he sank to the floor with his head in his hands.

Sam stared at him, eyes softening. _So that's what's wrong: he feels guilty. _"Can you leave us alone for a moment?" Danny's parents nodded and went upstairs.

Sam walked over and knelt next to him. "Danny," she said softly.

"What?" he sounded vulnerable, like a child caught eating cookies before dinner.

"There's no reason to feel guilty. I like fighting ghosts."

"But that doesn't mean you'd like to be one."

"I don't like sitting on the sidelines when you fight, Danny. Yeah, I know I can shoot a gun and all, but occasionally I get in trouble and you have to stop what you're doing to save me. Call me a feminist, but I'd like to be able to defend myself and not be a burden."

"You're not a burden..." he mumbled.

"But I feel like one when it happens. And when it does, I can't help but ask myself: If I had been able to help myself, what would have happened? Would the fight have been easier for you?"

Danny was quiet as he thought it over. "Fine. It's your choice. I do have a condition though. I'm only letting you if you talk to your parents first. Oh, and if you use whatever my parents have invented to prevent any pain."

"That's two, but you got a deal," Sam said.

Danny wrapped his arms around the girl that he loved. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute. "Well then, let's go tell your parents."

"Now?"

"Why not? It's only 3pm."

Sam mumbled something that Danny took for consent.

Danny stood up, led Sam up the stairs and into the living room where his parents were watching TV. "We're going to talk to Sam's parents about it before we do anything," he told them.

"Ok. Just be home by five; we're going to have a family dinner tonight. Jazz said she and Tucker are coming. Sam, you can join us if you want."

"Thanks Mrs. Fenton. I'll see if my parents will allow it."

Danny sighed. "So you know about Jazz's boyfriend?"

"Yep. She told us before she left for work this morning."

"Well, off to my house. See ya Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!" Sam pulled Danny towards the door before he could start complaining about being one of the last to know. "Go ghost please."

The rings spread from Danny's middle. Cradling her in his arms, he flew off. The flight was quick and they soon arrived at Sam's house.

He landed beside her front door. "You want to use your keys or should we just phase through?"

Sam shrugged. "Just phase. You're technically using the door so my parents can't get mad." Danny did so.

"Mom? Dad?" Sam yelled into her house as Danny set her down.

"Hold on, we'll be there in a moment." Jeremy and Pamela Manson soon appeared. "Hello there, Danny."

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Manson."

"Mom and Dad, I have something to talk to you about."

"Why don't we go to the sitting room? It's more comfortable." Pamela led the way to the place they had met in just a week ago. They all sat in the same couches as they had before.

Sam looked at her parents before speaking. "You've probably heard something about what Tucker has planned for Amity Park." Her parents nodded. "So, he needs to be able to access the Ghost Zone. But Danny accidentally destroyed the Fenton Ghost Portal when he removed his powers..." she trailed off when her parents gave her confused looks. "Oh, right, I'll explain about that later. Anyways, Vlad's portal has self destructed and the Infi-Map, which Danny used to get into the Ghost Zone to save Earth, had to be returned."

"And this concerns us because...?"

"Well, Danny's parents started working on fixing their Ghost Portal recently. They're almost done, but when they are, it can only be turned on by a human. Like the way Danny ended up getting his powers." The whole world knew exactly how Danny had become a half-ghost because he had done a live interview just yesterday. He had hoped it would lessen the reporters outside his door. Obviously, it had made no difference.

By the looks of their faces, Jeremy and Pamela were beginning to see why their daughter was telling them this.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton as well as Danny narrowed it down to who it could be." Sam took a deep breath. "I'm the only one that's able to. Anyone else wouldn't have enough experience or doesn't fit the bill." Her parents sat there in silence. Sam waited for them to say something.

Finally, Jeremy spoke. "So, you came here to ask us permission to undergo the transformation?" Sam nodded. Her parents exchanged a look.

"Well of course you can, sweetie," Pamela replied, not noticing Sam's grimace at the last word she said. "It's your choice what to do with your life. Besides, it's not like it would have done any good arguing about it. Our disagreement over your clothes is evidence enough."

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

Danny cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "My mom also wanted to know if Sam could come over for dinner tonight."

"Sure she can. We were planning on going out to see a play or something anyways." Jeremy paused, realizing that he was missing some information. "So, when _are_ you going to turn the portal on?"

Sam looked at Danny, who caught on and answered, "I guess as soon as my parents are finished working on it. That could take hours or even up to a full month."

"Whenever it is, I'll be sure to tell you," Sam put in. "It's time to leave, Danny's parents requested we go back there soon."

"I guess we'll see you again later tonight. Bye Sam. And Danny."

Sam turned to face Danny. "You can just fly from here."

"Ok." He lifted her into his arms and propelled them up into the air. He turned intangible and phased through the wall.

Sam's mother and father watched as Sam and her boyfriend left. "She's quite different than the daughter we pictured we'd one day have," Jeremy said to his wife.

She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Actually, I have finished tortur- I mean convincing Butch Hartman to sell me Danny Phantom. So I _do _own it! MWAHAHAHAHA! ...no, not really. I'm seriously considering it though.

Dedicated to all my readers and reviewers! YOU GUYS ALL ROCK! :D *GIANT HUG SO STRONG YOU FEEL SQUEEZED TO DEATH, CAUSING YOU TO GASP FOR AIR AND BEG ME TO RELEASE YOU. NEVER! I CRY AND BEGIN TO HOLD YOU TIGHTER!* ...and yeah...

Enjoy!

* * *

"You know that it's only 3:30 and we only have to be at my house at 5, right?"

Sam smiled mischievously. "I know. I just wanted an excuse to get out of there."

"Your love for your family is very obvious." Danny said. Sam laughed, making Danny smile. _This sounds so sappy, but I love her laugh. _"So, what do you want to do? Hang out?"

"I'm thinking I'd like to see where Jazz and Tucker are and hang with them." Sam knew he would comply, overprotective as he was.

"Sure!" With that, he headed off to try and find his sister and her boyfriend.

Sam and Danny found them at the city hall. Looking through the window, they saw Tucker and Jazz organizing the papers they had been working on. Danny would have turned invisible and yelled "BOO!", but he saw how much work he would destroy if they jumped in surprise. So he settled for knocking on the office door.

Jazz and Tucker looked up. "Hey Danny," Jazz said, smiling.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Wrapping up. We're thinking of hanging out at the mall before going to your place for dinner," Tucker replied.

Sam asked, "Cool. Mind if we join you?"

"Sure."

"If you don't mind," Jazz turned to Danny as she spoke. "Could we take my car? I brought it here." Danny nodded. They walked outside to her car. Jazz got in the drivers seat since she was the only legal driver; Sam, Danny and Tucker were all 16, but hadn't found the spare time to try for their driver's licences. Tucker sat in the passenger's seat beside her while Sam and Danny sat in the backseat. Jazz drove them all to the mall where they wandered around, talking and laughing. They shared memories of past fights, their story on the recent saving of the earth, and Danny and Sam managed to weasel enough information out of the other two to tell that they were in love. The time flew by and soon it was time to leave for Fenton Works.

The drive back was short and uneventful. Well, as uneventful as sitting in the car with a half ghost can be. Danny entertained himself by creating a duplicate and turning it invisible. He made one of Tucker's PDAs fly out the window and careen towards the road. Tucker was mourning over the loss of his favourite piece of technology, when it stopped and hovered an inch above the ground. Danny turned visible and began to laugh at Tucker's expression.

"Not cool man," Tucker grumbled.

"It's revenge for telling me last," Danny replied, still laughing. "_Now_ you're fully forgiven."

Jazz and Sam rolled their eyes. "Get in the car," they said together.

Danny sobered up and complied, chucking the PDA deftly into Tucker's lap.

"Careful! I just upgraded that one!" Tucker began rambling on about what he had done with his PDA and his plans for other things to buy. Sam noticed that Jazz was genuinely listening. _Interesting..._ she thought.

They finally arrived. Danny phased around to the other side of the car quickly, opening Sam's door before she could do it herself. Sam battled with being pleased or being annoyed, due to her being a feminist. In the end, she settled with a smirk and allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the door.

Tucker and Jazz watched them. "I'm so glad they're finally together. Lately, I'd been wanted to smack them upside the head and scream, 'You like him and he likes you. NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!'" Tucker shook his head at how clueless they'd been to each other's feelings.

Jazz laughed. "I know. How much money did you get?"

"$200. All the popular kids are so stuck up, they go against anything a social outcast says. But I'm not complaining; it gave me enough money to buy the upgrade software I was telling you about. You?"

"$300. But I have to split it with my mom and dad since they were in on this one. So I get $100." A look of guilt flashed across her face. "Think we should tell them the whole school had bets going on about them?"

"Are you crazy? Being on the receiving end of Sam's anger is never a good thing. And Danny has some pretty nasty techniques too. He wouldn't harm us too bad, but it'd still suck."

Jazz nodded. She suddenly realized that Sam and Danny were already inside. "Oh, come on," she grabbed Tucker's hand and ran into her house.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks to JuneLuxray for looking this over.**  
**

Roses are red,  
Violets are blue,  
Honey is sweet,  
Reviews are too!  
-Poem dedicated to CommanderApple ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** I know that the last chapter was uneventful, but I needed more time to write this one. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I have not yet embarked on my plan to torture Butch Hartman into giving me Danny Phantom. I have asked Santa for it for Christmas, but seeing as that's months away, I will have to wait and see if it shall be mine.

* * *

"Sam Apparition?"

"Nope."

"Sam Appearance?"

"Appearance? How is that a synonym for ghost?"

Dinner was finished. The plans for Sam to become a half ghost had been shared at the table. Sam, Danny, Tucker, Jazz and Danielle were all in the living room while the adults continued working on the portal. Jazz was reading from a thesaurus to help brainstorm a ghost name for Sam. Not that it would really matter; everyone would know her identity, due to her being part of the law enforcement. It was still fun though. Sam sat next to Jazz, commenting on each noun tacked onto her name.

"Sam Banshee?"

"Those things scream. High pitched. Like fan girls. No way."

"Sam Daemon?"

"Sounds like Demon," Sam scoffed.

"Well, the next in the list _is_ demon."

"Sam Demon is just as bad."

"Good point. Sam Devil?"

"Isn't that what you were for Halloween one year?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. It was revenge for my parents trying to get me to be an angel."

"Sam Eidolon?"

"What the heck does that mean?" Everyone said in unison.

Tucker quickly looked it up via his PDA. "A phantom; apparition," he read. Dani burst out laughing.

Sam rolled her eyes. "That was helpful. What else is there?"

"Sam Ethereal Being."

"Would that be one word with a hyphen, like the way some people combine their maiden names with their married names?"

"Guess so," Jazz replied.

"Then that one's out too."

"Sam Haunt?"

"No."

"Sam Incorporeal-Being?"

"I think we covered how I feel about last names with hyphens."

"Sam Kelpie?"

"Kelpie sounds like kelp, which is some kind of seaweed. I eat seaweed. It'd be like Tucker naming himself 'Tucker Meatloaf'." Briefly, Tucker seemed to seriously consider this. Sam shook her head. "Next?"

"Sam Manes."

"Isn't that part of a horse? How does that have anything to do with ghost?"

"Don't ask me. I didn't invent the thesaurus. Anyways, Sam Phantasm?"

"Weird."

"Sam Phantom?"

Sam paused, thinking. _That sounds...pretty perfect._ She mentally shook herself._ No, I only like it because it makes me think of Sam Fenton. Who I might be one day... Snap out of it Manson!_ "Next," Sam said.

"Sam Poltergeist?"

Sam just made a derisive noise in the back of her throat. Jazz took that as a 'no'.

"Sam Revenant?"

"Not going to happen."

"Sam Shade?"

"Sounds like the beginning of a tongue twister."

"Sam Shadow?"

"See last comment," came Sam's sarcastic reply.

"Sam Soul?"

"Please, like she's got one of those," Tucker joked. Seeing Sam's face, he quickly backpedaled. "I meant, you don't have a shadow, because that was what Jazz said before." Seeing Sam wasn't convinced he begged, "Please don't kill me."

Sam glared at him, but let it slide.

"Sam Specter?"

Sam considered. "No. Just... no."

"Sam Spook?"

"_Spook?_ No thank you! Too cliché."

"Sam Vampire?"

"Ugh. No way am I associating myself to those losers that sparkle."

"Sam Vision?"

"Too much like _tele_vision."

"Sam Visitor?"

"Please. Sounds like some cheery person you'd see hanging out with my mom."

"Sam Wraith?"

"Sounds like wrath. People would think I'm the ghost of anger."

Tucker looked as if he wanted to make a comment, but refrained out of self preservation.

"Sam Zombie."

"After many years of trying _not_ to get caught up in the popular crowd, I think this would ruin everything."

"That's the end of the list," Jazz told Sam.

"The thesaurus sucks."

"I could have told you that," Danny said.

Jazz snapped the book shut. "I give up. For now anyway. Let's do something else."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Danielle can choose."

The youngest halfa didn't even need a second to decide. "Let's play Twister!" She had seen it in a movie and had yet to play it.

"That's for preteens!" Tucker complained.

"Hel_lo!_" Dani gestured to herself.

"Oh. Right."

"I'll be right back," Danny said before phasing through the floor. In seconds, he was back with the game box in his hands.

Jazz's mature tendencies kicked in. "Ok, so rules other than the basic ones: no ghost powers allowed. It ruins the fun of getting tangled up."

Simultaneously, Dani and Danny whined, "Aww!"

Sam took the box from him and set up the mat. "Who wants to spin this?"

"I'll do it," came Danny's voice from behind her.

Sam was confused for a second, due to the fact that her boyfriend was in front of her. But she realized what he must have done. Turning around, she saw a Danny duplicate in Phantom form. Now behind Sam, Danny explained, "This way we can all join in."

Everyone agreed. Danny Phantom sat down beside the spinner and flicked the needle, which spun around and landed on, "Right Hand, Red."

And so the game commenced. Dani almost cheated by turning her hand intangible to touch an out of reach circle, but Jazz stopped her before she could. Sam was surprisingly good; her parents had forced her into gymnastics when she was younger, effectively making her flexible. Jazz lasted for a while, until Left Hand, Blue caused her to slip and crash into Danny. They both erupted into loud laughter that went on for quite a while. Tucker was doing well when his backpack of electronics started beeping, buzzing and ringing, causing him to forfeit. Being mayor of Amity Park had its drawbacks.

Now it was just Dani and Sam. Both girls were skilled; twisting, bending, leaning over and under each other. In the end, Right Foot, Green made Sam fall over as she tried to extend her leg across the mat.

"I won!" Dani cried, dancing around. "Let's play again!" The teenagers complied.

Dani got out first. It wasn't her fault: Danny tickled her so she collapsed with a fit of giggles. He got himself out in the process, but he thought it was worth it. Dani wasn't about to let him get away with it though. The two halfas wrestled and tickled each other while everyone else continued playing. Sam pretended to slip and fall so she could watch and see who would win. If Danny lost, he would not hear the end of it.

That left Jazz and Tucker. As well as Danny Phantom, who was still spinning the spinner. The two teenagers eventually lost interest in the game as they kept looking the one they were dating. Without fully realizing it, they started kissing.

They were interrupted by Danielle's fake retching noises. Danny merged his duplicate and himself together as he looked pointedly away. Obviously, the two half ghosts had given up wrestling. Sam was shaking with a fit of silent laughter. Tucker and Jazz blushed and stood up.

"We didn't bug you, so keep your mouths shut," Tucker grumbled.

"Fine." This came out slightly muffled since Sam was trying to stifle her mirth.

Danny said nothing. He wasn't sure if he was disgusted or happy for his best friend and sister.

"Do I have to keep witnessing these cheesy Oh-I'm-so-in-love-with-him/her-so-I-just-want-to-stare-at-them-or-kiss-them moments? They're a little sickening."

Danny chuckled, knowing Danielle wasn't just talking about Jazz and Tucker. He reached over and ruffled her already messy hair. "You'll understand some day." She made a face.

"Well... what should we do now?" Tucker asked.

"Let's see how the portal's coming along." Jazz stood up and walked downstairs. "Mom? Dad?"

"What is it Jazz?" Jack asked.

"How are the repairs going?"

"Very good actually." Maddie told them what they had accomplished, using big scientific words none of them -not even Jack- could hope to understand.

After she was finished, Dani spoke. "In plain English..?"

"We've done a lot of work, but there's still much to be done."

"So I'm going to be fully human for a while?" Sam asked.

Maddie nodded.

"How long exactly?"

"We'll be finished by the end of the week at least. It all depends on if we encounter any unexpected problems."

At that moment, a soft ding was heard from upstairs.

"Fudge is ready!" Jack said before heading up to the kitchen.

"Keeping Jack's mind on task and not on food is an expected problem."

"Can I help you with whatever you're working on?" Dani inquired. "Your lab is so amazing!"

Maddie smiled. "Sure. You can help too if you want," she told the teenagers.

Jazz, Tucker, Sam and Danny exchanged a glance. They all shrugged. _Why not?_

Maddie gave everyone a job and they worked on the Ghost Portal together.

"I'm going to miss no ghosts coming into our world," Danny commented.

"Tucker's treaty will make our job easier," Sam pointed out,

"True. But some ghosts will still attack me. Walker and Skulker are the ones I'm most worried about. Tuck, did you see either of them on your trip to the Ghost Zone?"

"Nope. I was only able to go to Clockwork. He had the Observants there already, knowing who I'd need to be there. Being able to see into the future must be awesome."

The conversation turned to past adventures Danny, Sam, Tucker and occasionally Jazz had experienced together. Jack and Maddie were very intrigued by the many ghosts they had met and fought.

The story that interested everyone the most was what Danny went through when battling his evil future self. Time had been turned back for them, so they had no knowledge of how they had almost died.

"...and then Clockwork came and told me-what was it exactly? I think it was: _'The Observants look at time like they're watching a parade, one thing after another passing by in sequence right in front of them. I see the parade from above, and all the twists and turns it might -or might not- take.' _So he knew everything that was going to happen. Even the part when he saved you all. Then, he took me back in time and gave me a second chance to take the test. I gave back the test answers and Lancer let me retake the test another day.  
Later, while I was sitting outside, Jazz came outside to talk to me. That's when she told me how long she'd known I was a half ghost. The rest you all probably remember."

Stunned silence followed. Tucker eventually spoke. "Wow. I thought you had stopped everything back when we were taking the test. You never told us anything about fighting your future self again."

"I didn't know any details, but I figured you must have somehow beaten him since you had my headband and the Booooo-merang," Jazz said.

Sam didn't seem to be able to find anything to say.

Maddie walked over and gave her son a hug. "Thanks for being a hero. Even when most of the town was convinced you were a villain. Us included," she added, gesturing to herself and Jack.

Danny half smiled.

"7:30."

Dani's outburst got her confused looks. "What? I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed early. See you guys later." She went ghost, turned intangible and flew to her room through the ceiling.

"Nothing personal, but I'm going to go home," Tucker said.

"I'll drive you," his girlfriend replied. Together, they walked up the stairs. Danny and Sam followed them to the door.

Waving goodbye as they got in Jazz's car, Danny said to Sam, "We could go to your house."

"Sounds good... if my parents aren't there. I can only have a certain amount of cheeriness per day."

"Fair enough." Danny extended his hand to her and she took it. He transformed into Danny Phantom and flew off to the Manson mansion.

The only sounds in the house were Dani listening to softly playing music and her parents tinkering around in their lab.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I have nothing against Twilight. But I think Sam would, if she knew about the books/movies.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I own all spoof-named movies and books. As well as spoof authors. (You'll understand once you read the chapter.) I do not, however, own Danny Phantom.

**UPDATE** **(August 7, 2010): **_Ok, I think I was hopped up on sugar or something when I wrote the original version of this chapter. Nothing else could have compelled me to write something that made me cringe re-reading it._

_For one thing, it was totally not canon: I mentioned movies that exist in our world, which of course would never happen in the show due to copyright claims and legal stuff. And another, the movie picking part was messed. I think this one is better. At least I hope so._

* * *

Danny entered via Sam's front door, as requested by her parents. Sam found a note on a table near the door. "Out at a play," she read out loud. "Won't be home until midnight. Feel free to have your friends over, just as long as they leave by 11. Love, your parents."

"So I can stay for," Danny glanced at his watch. "3 hours."

"Guess you can," Sam smiled back. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure." He transformed into Danny Fenton and followed Sam into her home theatre.

"Which one?" Sam opened her cupboards to show her enormous selection.

Danny stared at it. "No matter how many times I come over, I can never get over the amount of movies you have."

"Oh, shut up and pick one!"

Danny reached in and picked a DVD at random.

"_Dusk?_" Sam asked, incredulous. "You do realize you've chosen a movie about a vampire who stalks a human, telling her that he's dangerous and wants to suck her blood, all the while repeatedly saying he loves her, yet fails to prove himself other than ripping the heads off other vampires?"

"You seem to hate this movie in detail," Danny said, raising an eyebrow and putting the DVD back in its place. "Why is that?"

"I read the books when they first came out under the false pretence that they were worth reading. The first one, _Dusk_, was horrible, as was_ Lunar Phase_, _Shadowing of the Sun_, and _Sunrise_. I only read the rest of the saga—although I wouldn't call it a saga, since that word implies that they were well-written—in hopes that they would improve. Big mistake. I think I lost millions of brain cells just by reading them. Mephanie Styer should pay for polluting the minds of teens everywhere." She glared into space, filled with rage for the author who had ridiculed vampires, which had previously had fallen under the category of Dark-And-Weird-Stuff; standard issue for Goths.

Danny gaped at his girlfriend, shocked by her long-winded speech. She looked at him, all anger having drained from her face. "What?"

"N-Nothing," he stuttered, grabbing another DVD to cover up the moment he had been speechless. He glanced at the cover. "You own _15 Going on 25_? What's with all the chick flicks? And why am I touching this?" As he said the last question, he dropped the movie.

Sam rolled his eyes at his reaction and folded her arms. "In order: My parents bought it despite my protests; you're looking in the Romance section; and I don't know, you tell me."

"Oh." Danny scanned the shelves. Now, he saw the small labels stating the genre. He turned back to Sam. "So what type do you want to watch?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm never in the mood for romance, the adventure movies we have suck, I've seen all the comedies so they're not funny anymore, dramas and musicals annoy me, science fiction is unbelievable—in a bad way—and historical movies are boring."

"So what's left?"

Sam reviewed the list of possible genres in her mind. "Horror."

"Sweet! Which one?"

"I don't know. Just pick one."

Danny did so, not even looking at it, and popped the disk in the DVD player. The menu told them he had chosen _Terminatra: Rouge Humanoid Robot_.

They sat down next to each other and Danny put his arm around Sam. They watched the film in relative silence, Danny occasionally screaming and phasing through the back of the couch to hide behind it, each time causing Sam to burst into laughter. Once the credits began to roll, Danny peeked around the back of the couch and looked at the clock. "It's 10:43. We have a while before I have to leave. How do you want to pass the time?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "We could talk."

Danny placed one hand on the back of the sofa and leaped over onto the other side to land next to her. "What about?"

Sam shrugged. "You choose a topic."

Danny thought for a moment. "We could continue thinking about a ghost name for you."

"Sure!"

"So, any of the names we heard today sound good?"

She hesitated before replying, "I liked Sam Phantom. But I can't use it."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"You sound like a two-year-old."

"Just tell me!"

"No."

"You know I'm going to pester you until you tell me."

She remained silent.

"Fine. You leave me no choice." Danny made a move to tickle her. She shrieked.

Sam hated being tickled. The giggles that came out of her mouth sounded so un-Goth it was humiliating. That and it rendered her almost completely helpless to push off her attacker. Danny was the only one who knew her weakness, having discovered it trying to get a candy bar away from her when they were younger. She'd sworn him to secrecy by giving him the video game he'd coveted at the time. But the cat had been let out of the bag and now he knew exactly how to make her do something.

When she was half-ghost, she was going to use her intangibility a lot.

Quickly moving away from him, she cried, "OK, OK! I'll tell you."

He lowered his hand and rested it on the couch cushion. He waited patiently for her reason.

She gathered her courage before speaking. "Because it sounds like we're married."

Danny gazed at her for a while, as still as a statue. Sam shifted uncomfortably. Finally, he spoke. "That's not a bad idea."

"What isn't?"

"Getting married."

Sam blushed. "You think about that kind of stuff?"

Danny shrugged, completely casual about the subject, though his cheeks flushed. "I do with you. That sounds corny, but it fits. We met each other when we were five, been friends ever since, and now we're dating. Marriage seems like the next step."

"You're only 16 and you're thinking of who's going to be your wife?"

Danny nodded, smiling.

Sam sat there, absorbing the information. "You really think you're going to marry me someday?"

"I'm pretty positive."

"While you're in high school?"

"No. That's apparently not a smart idea. Maybe before or after collage."

Sam looked at the class ring that rested on her left hand. "Is that what you were thinking about when you gave me this?"

"A little bit. Mostly, I was just thinking about the close future; day to day. I can't imagine my life without you. Well, actually I can, thanks to Desiree. But you know what I mean." Sam nodded mutely, making Danny ask, "What are your thoughts about marriage... and me?"

Sam wracked her brain for the right words before answering. "Whenever I've thought about marriage, I've always wanted to marry someone who I love and who loves me. So, yeah, I'd marry you." She didn't look him in the eyes while she said this.

Abruptly, Danny took the gold band set with a blue stone off her finger.

"What—" Sam began to ask, but she stopped when he put it back on.

"Now it's a promise ring. One day I'm going to marry you."

He said it with such certainty that she smiled as she asked, "So we're engaged to be engaged?"

"Guess so."

Sam leaned over and kissed him.

Once they broke apart, she said, "Sam Phantom it is then." She glanced at her watch. "It's basically eleven. You should leave now if you don't want to deal with the wrath of my parents."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

Danny went ghost. "Love you," he said as he lifted off the ground, hovering.

"Love you too," she replied.

With that, he turned intangible and phased through the wall.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Like I said before, I have _nothing_ against Twilight. I've read the entire series and I have to say, it's not bad. I'm not a fan, I'm not a hater. I'm Switzerland!

So, to recap: Sydney/ILoveToReadRomance did not want to be offensive to people who like Twilight. If you were offended, she—I mean I apologize.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** If you have not already grasped that I do not own this awesome cartoon, you have some problems.

* * *

Once Danny left, Sam went upstairs. _I might as well turn in, s_he thought. She started climbing her stairs.

Meanwhile, Danny arrived home. He wasn't surprised to hear his parents still working in the lab. They had stayed up until dawn when they had first built the portal.

Sam changed into her PJs. Turning, she climbed under her covers. She fell asleep and started dreaming.

Danny got into his bed. He began to dream as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

In her dream, Sam looked around. She was in Antarctica. The machine that had been built to save the world was in the background. In front of her, Danny Phantom was saying goodbye to Jazz before he left for the Ghost Zone. _Walking down memory lane are we?_ she asked herself.

Danny looked over to see Sam approaching him. She picked up his hand and opened her fist, dropping an object in his palm. Danny wasn't surprised he was dreaming this memory; he had many times before.

"It's the ring you were going to give Valerie. You asked me to hold it, remember? Something tells me it was really meant for me." Sam turned the ring over. Wes became Sam. "Take it with you. But promise to bring it back. If you promise then... then I know I'll see you again."

Danny glanced at the ring and back at Sam. "If we make it through this-"

"_When _we make it through this," she corrected.

"Right. When we make it through this, I-I have a few things I need to talk to you about."

"I think I'd be willing to listen. And no matter how this thing ends, this whole ride we've been on together, I wouldn't change it for the world." Here she held his hands. "Not one bit."

"Me neither. I-" he broke off when Sam kissed his cheek.

Sam looked down. _I can't believe I just did that! _She felt Danny's hand take hold of her chin.

Danny looked at her. _She's so beautiful. Inside and out.  
_

_What's he thinking? _Sam thought. _Does he hate me now? _At that moment, Danny kissed her.

The kiss was sweet and loving. It never seemed to end. Sam thought, _If this was a movie, or at the very least a TV show, the camera would be spinning around us right now._ **(AN: Wink wink)**

Eventually, they broke apart.

"Wow," Danny said. "Remind me to save the world more often."

Sam smiled. "Go."

As Sam watched him fly off, she abruptly realized that this had all been a dream. But it had felt like she had really been reliving the memory. Kinda like the time Danny had visited her dream. Sam shook her head. Nah, he wouldn't do that... Would he?

Danny phased into the jet. _Strange. This dream felt like Sam was really there. But how could she be?_

* * *

Suddenly, the two awoke.

Danny groaned and looked for the cause of his sudden consciousness. Finding it, he said, "Hey Danielle. Did you have to jump on me at 2:30 in the morning?"

Dani looked down, a scared expression on her face. "I had a bad dream. About Vlad."

Danny looked at his little sister sympathetically. "He's not going to hurt you again. He can't. But you can sleep here if you want."

Dani sighed, relieved. "Thanks." She crawled under his covers and promptly fell asleep.

Danny smiled, closed his eyes, and drifted back to dream land.

Over at the Manson mansion, Sam whirled around, disoriented by her dream. She had heard a slashing noise and a bright light had flashed, waking her up. _What was that? _She finally spotted the source of her sudden awakening. She gasped.

"Wulf?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Dun dun dun! To be continued!

Did you like the dream sequence? I wanted to include the big kiss from Phantom Planet, but I started my story too late. So I found a loophole! The dream also serves another purpose which you will learn soon enough.

Also, heads up, my exams are coming soon so I might be slower in updating due to all the reviewing I'm going to be doing.

Which reminds me: please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Ok, so I made time to write this. And again, I have exams in about a week.

Just a side note: In my mind, ghosts can eat. They just don't need to. That is all.

**Disclaimer:** Sigh. Must I repeat this?

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked Wulf.

"Walker estas post mi kaj deziri al meti mi dorso en malliberejo," he told her.

"Walker's after you? Again?"

"Jes. Denove," Wulf agreed.

Sam glanced at her clock, which read 2:30am. "Why did you come to my house?"

"Via domo estas granda, Danny's gepatroj cxasi brando kaj mi fari ne memori kie Tucker logxi."

Knowing that this meant _Your house is big, Danny's parents hunt ghosts and I do not remember where Tucker lives, _Sam replied, "Well, you might not have known this, but Danny saved the world, yours and mine, from a giant asteroid-"

Wulf interrupted. "Mi scii; mi helpi li."

"You were there? Cool, I didn't see you. Anyways, after that, he was able to reveal his secret to the world and his parents accepted his ghost half. They're no longer ghost hunters now that they know not all ghosts are evil."

"Mi fari ne simila tio simpla kaj standard ideo tio oni kredi estas vera por every feo."

"I hate that stereotype too, especially since I'm going to be a ghost soon. Well, half ghost." Wulf's face showed his surprise. "Long story, I'll tell it to you later. So... do you want to talk to Danny now, or...?" She trailed off.

"Ne nun. Mi estas laca de elturnigxi Walker," Wulf replied.

Sam nodded. "Hold on. I'll get you a bed since you're staying the night." She got up and walked to the other side of her room. Next to her light switches (yes, the plural) was a button. She pressed it, and a bed frame folded out of a wall. On the bed frame was a soft mattress complete with black and purple sheets and matching plump pillows. Sam shook her head. Although being rich had its advantages, such as right now, it was a little over the top. "There you go. Enjoy."

Wulf went over to it. Jumping on it, he turned in circles three times before lying down. "Danki vi," he said before falling sound asleep.

Sam smiled. "You're welcome." She got back into bed and fell back asleep, Danny on her mind.

* * *

A few hours later, Danny woke up. Climbing out of bed carefully so a not to wake his sister, he headed over to his dresser. He chose his regular outfit of jeans and a white T-shirt then went to the bathroom to change into them. Entering his room again, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened last night. He grabbed a pen and paper, leaving a note to Dani telling her where he was going. Placing it on the table beside his bed, he transformed into Danny Phantom and phased outside. This set off a frenzy in the few reporters that were still stationed outside his front door. He sighed. Turning invisible, he set off for Sam's house, somehow knowing that going there would shake the nagging feeling.

Meanwhile, Sam was beginning to awake. She lay there, staring at the ceiling and just enjoying the feel of her bed. She looked over at Wulf, who was storing lightly. She half frowned, wondering what he had gone through this time. Cuts and bruises were on his arms and paws as well as a few on his torso. _At least the portal is still closed and Walker is trapped in the Ghost Zone,_ she thought.

Sam was deciding whether or not to call Danny right at that moment, when she heard a tapping on her window. Since she had left the curtains open, Sam could clearly see Danny outside. She motioned for him to enter and he phased into her room. He looked around, first at Wulf and then at her.

"Should I tell your parents I'm here?" he asked.

Sam shook her head. "No point. They left to visit some of their friends earlier this morning. Some kind of school reunion. So what brought you here?"

Sudden confusion flashed across Danny's face. "I'm not sure exactly. I just... felt that something was up." For some reason, this made Sam remember the dream she'd had the previous night. But she pushed it out of her mind. Or at least she tried to.

Sam looked again at Wulf. "Should we wake him up now?"

Danny followed her gaze with his eyes. "Nah. Looks like he needs the rest. Has he told you what happened to him?"

"All I know is that Walker's the cause."

Danny frowned. "Not surprising. At least he's safe in our world." Danny abruptly scanned the room. "Did he close up the portal he used to get here?"

Sam looked around as well. "I guess so. I didn't see anything and he probably learned last time that portals are better left closed."

"Did he open the portal right into your room?"

She nodded. "He woke me up at around 2:30 this morning."

At that moment, Danny's stomach growled. He stared at it like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"Sounds like you're hungry," Sam said, laughing.

Danny shrugged, and replied, "I didn't eat breakfast yet."

Sam reached out and took his hand. "Come on." She pulled him towards her bedroom door. Danny caught on and intangibly flew them to the kitchen.

Once they arrived there, Sam went and opened the pantry door. It was as big as one of those overly dramatic walk-in-closets you see in movies about shopaholics. There were all types of foods to choose from; foreign, microwavable, fresh, canned and more. You name it, it was there. Or it was in one of the four fridges which were also there.

"So... what do you want to eat?" she asked.

"You could feed five armies with all this food!"

"I know. My mom insists on keeping this much. Something about unexpected visitors." Sam shook her head at her mom's logic. "Although, it makes me wonder how many she's expecting."

Danny walked into the pantry. Once he reached its back wall, he turned around to look at his girlfriend. "You're only a tiny speck in the distance!" he called.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Just choose something." She herself went to a freezer and chose a frozen TV dinner. Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, of course.

Danny continued to scan the shelves, looking for something simple. Which was pretty much impossible. He finally located the cereal, but even that had thousands of choices. Half of the box labels were unreadable due to the fact that they were written in different languages. Grabbing the closest one (which was Cheerios), he walked out and tried to find milk. While Sam was over by a microwave, he set the cereal box down on an island and wandered over to the fridges. He looked into all four and found the one that contained the various selection of milk. Danny made sure he didn't grab a carton of soy milk and set the one he chose down next to his cereal selection. _Now for a bowl and spoon,_ he thought.

Danny felt like he had spent five minutes hunting for what he needed, when Sam asked, "Need some help?"

"How is it that I can fight ghosts no problem but this of all things is impossible?"

Sam laughed and opened a cupboard and a drawer. Inside the cupboard were many bowls and the drawer contained hundreds of spoons. She gestured to them like a game show host.

"Thanks." He grabbed one of each and poured some cereal and milk into the bowl. He followed Sam into the dining room and sat across the table from her. The two had been eating and talking about nothing in particular, when they heard a loud sniffing noise, followed by the appearance of Wulf.

"Mi fondi vi! Via domo estas tre vasta!" Wulf said to Sam.

"I know. I always get lost in her house," Danny said.

Wulf's face lit up as he noticed Danny. "Mia amiko!" He ran over to Danny and licked his face.

Danny grinned. "Hey amiko. Want some food?" he asked in Esperanto. Wulf nodded. Danny turned to Sam. "Can you help him? I still don't get your kitchen's set up."

Sam rolled her eyes but complied and stood up. "Veni kun mi," she told the ghost wolf. He did, and he came back a few minutes later with a t-bone steak. Sam sat back down and made a face. It was evident that she had reluctantly helped Wulf prepare it.

Danny and Sam had finished eating by now. Wulf gulped down his food and looked at his friends. "So, what happened?" Danny asked.

In Esperanto, Wulf told them that Walker was determined to catch him. Wulf had managed to get far enough away to slash a portal- which yes, he had closed."

"I don't think Walker's ever going to give up," Sam said, sighing.

"Sama," Wulf agreed.

"It's highly unlikely. At least you unable to get over here, Wulf," Danny said.

They were all silent for a moment, thinking. Well, Danny and Sam were thinking; Wulf was sniffing around, pretty much zoned out. The silence was broken by Sam. "When are we going to deal with Walker? Before or after the portal's fixed?"

"Definitely after. It'll be better if we have another half ghost on our side. And with that in mind, we're going to need some time to discover all your powers. There's no way I'm letting you go into a fight unprepared."

Sam smiled at his protectiveness. It was nice to be reminded of how much he cared for her. "I respect that. How far along is the portal?"

"No clue. I woke up and came here. I haven't done anything else. But we can find out right now."

"Sure," Sam said, standing up. Danny picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "You know, I'm going to miss flying like this."

Danny chuckled. "Me too." He turned to Wulf and said, "Follow me." He then set off for his house.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I love writing about Sam's mega-rich status. It's pretty awesome.

I will update as soon as possible. But Chapter 12 might not be out for a couple of weeks. Sorry, exams are not fun.

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Cookie!

**Disclaimer: **I'm not going to bother putting this in anymore. It's pointless. Everyone should know by now that (insert sigh here) I don't own Danny Phantom.

Dedicated to SmurfLoversPancake. Thanks for the advice! :D

* * *

The Fenton family was awake by now. Today was the second-to-last weekend of the summer. Jazz was spending it at home -she'd been at work all week- and she had invited Tucker over. The two were watching TV and just enjoying each other's company when Danny came in through the wall.

"Hey man," Tucker greeted.

"Hey," Danny replied, setting Sam down. "We're just going downstairs.." he broke off as he noticed Tucker and Jazz were staring at Wulf, who had just entered the room behind Sam. "I'll explain why he's here later." Before the other two could protest, Danny phased himself and Sam through the floor. They landed gently on the basement floor and Danny subconsciously became human again.

"Hey Danny," his mom yelled over the sound of the tools Jack was using. "We're almost done with the portal. Another hour or so and it'll be done!"

Sam had mixed feelings about this information. On one hand, she was excited to be getting her powers. On the other, she was a little reluctant to be giving up her humanity, so to speak. But what comforted her was the fact that she was having it done by choice -unlike Danny- and that it would link her more with her boyfriend. If that was possible, given the fact that they had shared the same Nocturne-induced dream. (Danny had eventually told Sam what he had seen and what he had dreamt.)

Danny didn't know what to think. He realized that reopening the portal was for the best, but he wasn't thrilled about Sam becoming a half-ghost in the process. There were so many consequences with that decision. He looked at her, thinking of all the bad things that had happened since he had received his powers. He'd put her life in danger many times before. _How can I let her do this?_

Sam, feeling his gaze, turned in his direction. Their eyes met. Suddenly, all Danny could think about was all the fun times they'd had hunting ghosts. And now it would be much easier because he wouldn't have to worry about her while he was fighting. He smiled at her and Sam smiled back.

"That's great!" she told Jack and Maddie, her words effectively snapping Danny out of his thoughts. Danny's parents were already back to their work and didn't notice the slight delay in Sam's reply. "I'd better call my parents then." She started up the stairs, cell phone in her hand, off to a more quiet place.

Danny was about to follow her, but Maddie called his name and he spun around. "Who's this?" She gestured to who she was talking about.

Wulf was eyeing Danny's parents warily. Danny couldn't blame him; the entire lab was filled with ghost hunting equipment. "Oh, this is Wulf. Remember the stories I've told you about him and Walker?"

Their eyes filled with recognition. "Oh, him. He's the one who can slash open gateways into our world and his, right?" Jack asked for clarification.

"Jes. Tio estas mi," Wulf said. Maddie and Jack's faces showed their confusion.

"Oh and he can only speak Esperanto. Although he seems to be able to understand some English phrases and stuff." Wulf nodded as Danny spoke. "Tucker taught Sam and me Esperanto, but we're still learning. Tucker's pretty much the expert."

"So Wulf's here because...?" Maddie trailed off, waiting for her son to finish the sentence.

"Walker's after him -again- for escaping. Come to think of it, he's probably after me as well. Once the portal's open and Sam knows how to use her powers, we're going to have to deal with him. I was thinking I might ask the ghosts I've fought in the past to help me if I need to. They aren't too fond of Walker either. But I don't think I'll need anymore help than that."

"Hey!" came an indignant cry. Danny turned to see his little sister in ghost form hovering behind him. Her arms were folded and she was pouting, green eyes flashing. "No fair! I wanna go too!"

Danny immediately started shaking his head. "It's too dangerous. You don't have that much experience."

"I have more than you did when _you _first started using your powers," Dani retorted.

She had him there.

"You're free to go if you want, Danielle," her mom interjected. "Just as long as you're careful."

"I will be!" the thirteen-year-old called as she flew off to her room. She had to use as much time as she could to study because she was starting school in the fall. Before she could be enrolled, she needed to take a test to determine her grade level. She was aiming for grade seven so that she could be in grade eight with other kids her age.

Sam appeared at the top of the stairs. "I told my parents. They said they're fine with me turning the portal on today." To Danny, she said, "I've invited Jazz and Tucker over to my house. I need her help to pick an outfit."

"Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear you say," Danny said, chuckling.

"Don't get used to it. Come on. Let's go."

Danny said goodbye to his parents and told Wulf to stay at his house. Not bothering to go ghost, he literally flew up the stairs and landed gracefully at the top. Sam rolled her eyes, muttering, "Show off."

Sam and Danny entered the living room to find Jazz and Tucker waiting for them. Jazz asked, "So how are we getting to your house, Sam?"

Danny answered for her. "Not visibly. When I went to her house earlier, reporters were starting to gather outside our front door." He sighed. "Now I feel sorry for celebrities." Tucker pointed out that Danny was kind of like a celebrity himself, making Danny groan. "I'll just fly us there."

Sam reached out and placed her hand in his left. Jazz took her brother's right hand and her boyfriend's left.

"Goin' ghost," Danny murmured, knowing he would need the extra strength. He phased the group through the wall and towards the Manson's home.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, in order to decide on an outfit, you'll have to understand the rules of colours and their negatives, also called opposites. This way, you'll end up with the colours you want."

"Jazz? You've just used up half my attention span. Talk like that much longer and I'll zone out."

Sam was inside her walk-in closet that she wasn't proud of, skimming through numerous articles of clothing. Most of the items had been bought by her parents. Needless to say, these had never been worn.

"Fine," Jazz grumbled. "Here's the short version: When you become a half-ghost, whatever you're wearing will change colour. Therefore, you'll have to manipulate the colour scheme."

Sam just blinked in reply.

Jazz sighed, exasperated. "Even shorter version: Anything red will turn green, yellow will become violet, black to white, blue to orange. Vice versa and the shade will vary."

Sam nodded slowly. "Ok, I understand now." She went back to searching her closet, occasionally dropping anything too colourful into a pile on the floor. She'd have to give them away later.

While she and Jazz were in the closet, Danny and Tucker were sitting on some chairs Sam had brought them. They were bored out of their brains. Sighing while fiddling with his PDA, Tucker asked, "Do we really have to spend so much time on an outfit? Just pick one and get it over with!"

Jazz poked her head out of the closet doorway. "Just keep your mouth shut, stop distracting us and the process will be faster." She waded through the growing pile of clothes and back inside the closet.

Sam stifled a groan. She _had _asked Jazz to help. She just hadn't known that it would elongate the experience.

"Never thought you of all people would worry about what to wear, Sam," Danny commented.

Sam didn't bother to exit the closet as she yelled back, "Unlike you, I know what's in store for me once I turn the portal on. I might as well take advantage of that. At least I was there for you to take your dad's face off of your suit. The emblem I made is much better."

"I _knew _you did something to my costume!"

A little over half an hour passed. Jazz kept picking outfits that Sam hated. Sam kept forgetting which colours were opposites. Eventually, they created an outfit that both deemed: "Perfect!"

"So, Danny, when's the portal going to be done?" Sam asked.

He shrugged. "Not sure. My parents would probably-" He was cut off by his cell phone, which had begun to ring. "Call me," he finished.

Flipping open his cell phone, he said into it, "Hello?" He was silent for a moment, listening to whoever was on the other end. "Ok, we'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up and put his cell back in his pocket. "Portal's ready," he told the others.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, the fact that Sam was becoming a half-ghost finally sinking in.

Jazz spoke first. "Ok. Let's go then."

Everyone nodded. The group linked hands once again. Danny turned them intangible and pushed off of the ground. Hovering, he turned and flew outside; Tucker, Jazz and Sam in tow.

* * *

"This is the Fenton Painkiller. It'll keep you from feeling any discomfort throughout the entire experience," Maddie said to Sam, holding up what looked like a bracelet-sized Specter Deflector.

Sam took the device from Maddie's hands. Putting it on her wrist, it made a small click. "Well, here goes." She slowly made her way to the Ghost Portal. Its vastness seemed to leer at her. Once inside, she positioned herself in front of the on button. She glanced out at those who stood in the lab.

Jazz and Tucker were off to one side, holding hands with nervous expressions on their faces. Jack and Maddie were next to some machinery that controlled the portal. Danielle was sitting on a chair near her parents, watching their every move, fascinated by all their calculations and equipment. Wulf was sitting on the floor, licking an icicle Danny had made for him. Every now and then, his tongue would stick to it and he would whimper softly. Danny stood as a ghost in front of the portal. Sam noticed that he looked ready to spring into action at the slightest problem. She caught his eye and he gave her an encouraging smile. She gave him a small one in response.

Facing the portal wall again, she took a deep breath for strength. She raised her hand turned the portal on with a push of a button.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I deliberately didn't describe Sam's outfit in this chapter. It adds to the suspense and I didn't want to have to figure out any colour negatives and such. It'll be much easier just to say what colours different parts end up as.  
Plus, I'm not entirely sure what it should look like at the moment. *laughs*

I hate cliffhangers. But I'm leaving it at one anyways.

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the long wait. Writer's block hit, the chapter is the longest yet (3,016 words and almost a full 7 pages on Word to be exact), and I lost my motivation temporarily while writing. And if that wasn't enough, I also have a life outside of writing and my parents won't let me sit around the house working on my story. It's summer, I gotta do _something_.

Anyways, here is the long-awaited chapter fourteen. Enjoy it. A lot of work was put into this.

* * *

Immediately after the button was pressed, the portal lit up. Sam saw sparks surround her body and she flinched instinctively. But the Fenton Painkiller began blinking rapidly and she felt no pain.

A whooshing noise alerted her to the Ghost Zone and the real world uniting again. Behind her was the familiar sight of swirling green light. She made her way to the front of the portal and stepped out of it.

She had been watching the floor up until now. She lifted her head to see everyone's reaction.

Wulf was unimpressed, still licking away on his icicle. Jazz was smiling proudly at her friend. Tucker seemed slightly shocked. _Has my appearance changed _that much_?_ Sam wondered. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were overjoyed that both the bracelet and the portal had worked. Jack was actually dancing around. Dani was beaming, her face aglow with excitement. Her love for her parents' work was surprising, considering what she had been through with Vlad.

Sam glanced at Danny out of the corner of her eye before facing him head on. His face was unreadable and his arms were folded. He opened his mouth and asked, "So how does it feel to be a halfa like me?"

She narrowed her eyes, concentrating. Being a ghost was indescribable. Struggling for words, she said, "Different. I don't know how exactly to explain. I just don't feel… human anymore. I didn't even know I _felt_ human before."

Danny nodded, green eyes still free of any emotion. "I know what you mean. I felt the same way after the accident and basically the opposite when I removed my powers." He stared at her, and Sam stared back, wondering what he was thinking. All of a sudden, she just knew.

Danny's voice filled her mind. _Wow, she's beautiful even as a ghost. _Sam gasped aloud. Had she imagined that?

Danny gave a start when he heard Sam's gasp and then her voice. He thought to himself, _she's not talking so how…? Am I going crazy? _

_No, I don't think you are,_ said Sam's voice.

_Can you hear me?_ he inquired silently.

Sam spoke to prove it, "Yeah, I can."

Danny's eyes grew wide. "How…" He trailed off, too shocked to speak properly.

Everyone else in the lab was baffled. "What are you two talking about?" Dani asked.

Sam and Danny turned to the other half-ghost. "I think we can communicate by thought," they said together. They blinked and gazed at each other again, confused.

"You mean telepathically? Sweet!" the thirteen-year-old exclaimed. Her parents gaped at her. "What?" she asked them, offended. She glanced up at both parents separately since they were on either side of her. Placing her hands on her hips, she said, "You think I can't know words like that? I've been studying all week. It'd be a shock if I _didn't_ have a high vocabulary. Anyways," she said, turning back to her brother and his girlfriend. "How is that possible?"

They couldn't answer her—they were wondering the same thing.

Jazz offered, "Maybe it's a ghost power."

"I know how we can know for sure," Maddie said. "Jack and I invented a machine that can identify a ghost's abilities. And it doesn't hurt the ghost at all."

Jack added, "We call it: The Eidolon Exposer! Jazz helped us with the name."

"Well, it's worth a shot," Sam said. "Where is it?"

Maddie pointed to an object on a table. It appeared to be a hand-held metal detector - the kind you see with a security guard—although this one was bright green and plugged into a computer. She picked it up and turned it on. She was about to use it when she remembered something. Looking at her son, she said, "Danny? Shouldn't you close the portal?"

"Oh, right." He hurried over to lock it.

Maddie faced Sam again. "Now hold still." Maddie used the device to scan the half-ghost's head.

"That's not going to cause any brain damage, is it?" Sam asked warily.

Maddie shook her head. "It's a hundred percent safe."

The Eidolon Exposer beeped and an image appeared on the attached computer screen. It was a photo of Sam in ghost form. Her hair was white and in its usual hairstyle; ponytail held back with a green hair tie. She was wearing a black tank top that exposed her midriff, black pants, purple boots and purple gloves that reached her elbows. On her chest was a green emblem of the letters S and P interlocking. Her eyes were identical in colour to Danny's; bright green.

Sam examined her appearance. _Not bad_.

_That's an understatement. You look really pretty. _Sam blushed as she heard what Danny was thinking.

He walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Reading off of the list that was onscreen, he said, "Powers of Sam Phantom: Ghost ray, flight, intangibility, invisibility, duplication, overshadowing, telekinesis, light manipulation, can shape-shift objects, psychic connection with Danny Phantom/Fenton. Half-ghost, also called Sam Manson."

"What does 'light manipulation' mean?" Sam asked, eyes on the Fenton Painkiller as she removed it from her wrist and placed it on a laboratory table.

Maddie stepped forward and tapped at the keyboard before answering Sam. "Apparently, you can remove light to see by for a short period of time."

"Sweet! I can create darkness!"

Danny spoke up. "Psychic connection? What's that?"

Sam explained, "It's a link between two people. They can either sense each other's emotions or converse in thought, although sometimes it's both."

"How do you know these things?"

"I read, Danny. Something I think you should do more often," she replied, smirking. Abruptly, her smug smile turned to a frown of uncertainty. "So how do I use my powers?"

A slight smile played at Danny's lips. _Finally, something that I know and she doesn't._ She heard this and moved to hit him. He dodged her hand. "You have to think about it. You'll somehow just… know what to do."

Sam nodded, her expression serious. "Can we practice now?"

"Sure." He pressed the button which brought up the ghost containment cell.

Sam moved towards it, but she began to phase through the floor, her legs intangible. She let out a "Huh?" of surprise. Danny had anticipated this and nonchalantly lifted her up. Her legs became tangible again and he set her back on her feet. "Thanks," she said sheepishly.

"No problem." He held her hand and led her into the chamber. The others gathered around it, eager to see Sam's first time using her powers.

Closing the door behind them, he asked her, "So which power do you want to start with?"

"Ghost ray sounds good," replied Sam, her tone suggesting this was as normal as ordering a lunch.

"Alright. When I use mine, I basically think of pushing someone back. You'll know it's working if you feel energy building wherever you want it to be coming from." She was quiet and motionless. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"I'm just a little nervous," she admitted, slightly annoyed at herself for showing weakness.

"Don't be. You can't even destroy anything since we're in this thing." Danny gestured to the walls that surrounded them. "Do your worst. It'll contain it."

Sam's expression became a determined one. She extended her arms out in front of her, hands outstretched and fingertips pointing to the ceiling. She willed power to surge to her palms. Feeling it building, she pushed it out. A purple ghost ray shot out of each hand and collided both with the wall. It made a loud boom, but nothing and no one was harmed.

"Cool!" Sam cried. She was so excited, she didn't notice that her feet had left the floor and she was now floating in the air.

Watching her hover, Danny thought, _Well, at least we can check flying off the list. _

Sam glanced around when she heard this. She was a couple feet off the ground. She began to maneuver herself around; left to right, up and down. _Piece of cake._

_Now try landing, _Danny's voice said.

Sam did. But, every time she neared the floor, she'd shoot right back up. Eventually, she gave up and just hovered. She exhaled sharply in irritation, crossing her arms. Slowly, she began to sink and her boots finally touched the floor. _Ugh! This is just like the time I got infected with Spectra's ghost bug. Why is it so hard for me to land? It was never a problem for you._

Danny shrugged. _It's different for each person, I guess. Wanna try invisibility next?_

Sam nodded.

_Think of no one being able to see you, then will it to happen._

Sam followed his directions, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. A cool sensation spread throughout her body.

_There. You did it. You're invisible._

Sam looked down at herself. As far as she could see, she wasn't there. Yet at the same time, she could still see her body. Not with her eyes, but with her mind. She reached out her hand and knew precisely how far it was from the wall.

_Creepy feeling, isn't it?_

_Yeah… _Sam made herself become visible again. _So how do I become intangible?_

_That one's harder to control at first. To do it by choice, just think about it. You'll know what to do._

Sam did as she was told. She felt tingly and knew she had become intangible. She instinctively prevented herself from phasing through the floor. On an impulse, she flew over to Danny and overshadowed him.

It was weird being in someone else's body. Sam still felt like herself, but at the same time, she knew she was perceiving everything through Danny's eyes. She could even tell what he was feeling. Wait… Was she supposed to be able to? Didn't overshadowing someone mean taking control of their mind to some degree?

Danny's thoughts answered hers. _Yeah, it does. This is weird. I shouldn't be able to think. Whenever someone's overshadowed, they're basically put into a coma. _He experimentally moved an arm. _And I'm still in control of my body. See if you can move anything._

Sam made Danny walk a few steps.

_Weird. That feels like an involuntary movement. Try overshadowing someone else. Maybe our psychic link is interfering. _

Sam exited Danny's body and phased out of the containment cell. She flew into Jazz before the red-head could protest. Although she did protest _after_ she was overshadowed.

"What are you doing?" Jazz cried. "Get out of me!"

Sam replied in her own voice via Jazz's mouth. "I'm working on overshadowing people. It's a little weird, as you can tell. You're still able to use your mouth and everything else." Sam flew out of the other girl's body.

Jazz shivered. Having a ghost in your body sure was a bizarre experience.

Sam was perplexed, evident by her facial features. "Why is it that my control isn't as strong as any other ghost's? It's more like I'm sharing a body than taking it over."

"Perhaps your love of free will and individuality renders you physically unable to. It could be purely psychological and therefore difficult or even impossible for you completely override their mind and body." Everyone stared at Jazz, bewildered by her psycho-babble and use of adverbs. She sighed and reworded her analysis. "Maybe something in Sam's brain makes her power work this way."

There was a round of "Oooh!"'s as everyone understood.

"Could be," Danny and Sam said in unison.

_Whoa, their synchronized talking is really freaky, _Dani thought. "I've got an idea. Sam, overshadow me." The newest halfa obeyed. Once Sam was inside of her, Dani raised her hand and fired an ecto-blast. It was purple rather than the usual green. "Ok," Dani said as Sam phased out of the thirteen-year-old. "So it looks like whoever Sam overshadows gets her powers along with someone sharing their body." She paused for a second. "That's so cool!"

Maddie commented, "I'd like to see how her ability to shape-shift objects and manipulate light turn out."

"Don't forget her telekinesis! I wanna see that!" Dani put in.

Her mother acknowledged her statement by nodding. "Think you can try those next, Sam?"

"Sure!" Now with a little more comprehension of how to access her powers, Sam stared hard at an empty beaker that was on a nearby table. It began to tremble as she focused on moving it with her eyes. She felt the sensation of touching it, but with her brain rather than her hands.

The beaker rose slowly off of the tabletop. Sam made it float over to herself before letting it drop. Catching it, she decided to conquer her shape-shifting capability next. She moved her energy to her hands and then into the laboratory item, both of which began to glow purple. On a whim, she determined what to change it into. With a pop, the glass container disappeared and in its place was a dinner plate-sized purple and black tarantula.

Danny and his parents were unaffected by its presence, while Tucker eyed it warily and Jazz let out a high-pitched scream prior to hiding behind her boyfriend. Dani walked over to it and Sam. "Aww! It's so cute!" Dani chimed. Sam grinned—she was liking Danny's little sister more and more as time went on.

The spider's eight eyes blinked blankly all at once. Suddenly, it jumped out of Sam's outstretched palms, hit the floor and scuttled towards Jazz and Tucker.

"Keep that thing away from me!" the eldest of the Fenton children squealed.

Sam rolled her eyes at Jazz's phobia, but obeyed. The arachnid was picked up into the air, legs jerking horribly. Sam visualized the beaker that it once was and, with another pop, the tarantula became it. _This is a lot like recycling,_ she mused to herself (and Danny). She moved the beaker and rested it on the table again. All of this was done without lifting a finger.

_Ok, now to create darkness. I can see where this skill is going to come in handy,_ she thought, remembering the way her parents had started her mornings in the past. _No more bright sunlight. Yes!_ She smirked devilishly.

Danny smiled too as he heard this. The telepathic bond was really quite amusing.

Sam concentrated on the ecto-energy that was coursing through her veins. Her eyes closed of their own accord. She could tell that darkness was a very difficult accomplishment. She felt the energy building in her core. Pinpricks of light sparked behind her eyelids. Finally, she forced the power out.

Purple light flashed out of her body. It was so bright; everyone flung their arms up to shield their eyes which they also squeezed shut.

Sam opened her eyes and caught her breath. The entire lab had taken on a green tinge—as if she was using night-vision goggles. Although it was pitch-black to everyone else and practically robbed them of their sight, she could see everything clearly.

Maddie, Jack, Jazz, Tucker, Dani and Wulf were scanning the room—or at least trying to—with wide-open eyes and puzzled faces. Danny, however, was moving around the lab with ease, a smug smile on his face. Sam realized that their psychic link was allowing him to see where he was going. Just to aggravate him, she cut off that part of the connection temporarily, somehow knowing how to do that. The task was difficult and she began to simmer (Goths don't sweat). Her head throbbed. It was like pulling back on an already stretched sling-shot, but with her brain.

_Hey!_ he complained.

Apparently they could still communicate by thought.

She smirked even though no one could see it. _Just experimenting._ She let go of the metaphorical elastic and gave him back the night-vision. _There. Happy?_

_Yep! _He proceeded to fly around the room to prove it, performing back-flips and loop-de-loops. She rolled her eyes but smiled. His childishness was both entertaining and irritating.

Sam tried to give the ability to see in the dark to Tucker. It was tricky, but she managed to after her fifth try. Once she succeeded, the techno-geek blinked. "Hey, I can see again! But why is everything green?"

"Because things are still dark." Sam noticed that her vigor was waning. Every second of manipulating light was slowly draining her of her strength, but she shook it off. She only had to keep it up for a few more minutes tops. She attempted to grant Jazz sight in the darkness, but it was too much. Two green-white rings spread from her middle of her torso, one going up and the other going down. Soon, Sam Manson stood where Sam Phantom once had. The room was plunged into light, temporarily blinding everyone but the light manipulator.

Sam panted slightly. That last power had really been hard on her. It sucked out every last drop of her energy, leaving her exhausted.

"Sam!" Danny rushed over to her, flying in the process, overreacting once again. "Are you ok?"

Sam gave a frail laugh, still breathing heavily. "I'm… fine," she gasped out between gulps of air. _Ugh, I hate sounding feeble. _She managed to gather enough oxygen to talk properly again. "That power weakened me, that's all." Somewhat unexpectedly, she scowled. "Darn it!" Seeing Danny's confused look, she continued. "I didn't get to try out duplication!"

Danny chuckled, relieved that she was alright. "You can try it out some other time. Besides, you're more experienced than I was when I started out," he remarked.

She shrugged half-heartedly. "What can I say? I'm a fast learner. Plus, I already knew what all my powers are thanks to Science." She motioned to the Eidolon Exposer when she said this. "And on top of that," she continued. "I have a very skilled and powerful half-ghost as a teacher." Sam looked meaningfully at him. He ignored her compliment, but his cheeks flushed lightly in spite of himself. Sam refrained from grinning with difficulty.

"Well," she said, clapping her hands together and glancing at her Gothic watch. "It's lunchtime and I'm starved. Who wants to eat?" Not waiting for an answer, she jogged up the stairs, combat boots thudding with every step, Tucker on her heels. It was amazing how fast he could move once properly motivated. The others followed soon after, Jack leading.

* * *

**Author's Note: **It would be greatly appreciated if you check out my blog. The site is in my profile. It'll provide information on my writing progress.

By the way, you may have noticed that Danielle's age is now thirteen. I realized that Danny met her during the summer and this story takes place the summer after. Therefore, Dani would be a year older. I went back and edited past chapters so there are no continuity errors.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Danny Phantom rules.

Sorry about the long wait. I... Actually, I don't have an excuse. I was lethargic. (Don't know the word, look it up.) I have a reason, but it's not an excuse. Please forgive me.

So, this chapter was supposed to be a birthday gift to myself from myself, but I'm a few days late, considering today is July 27 and I was born on July 21. Happy belated birthday to me!

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Sorry if there's not much action. That's coming soon. Though it might suck, just to warn you. Never written a fighting scene before.

* * *

Lunch didn't stop Danny from making a plan for what to do about Walker. By the time everybody had finished eating, they all knew exactly what each person was supposed to do. After much discussion, it was decided that it was best to act now.

Jack and Maddie were staying behind. Maddie had been hesitant at first, but Danny eventually persuaded her, saying that it would be better to have people out of danger for back-up if it was needed. Jack didn't care much, due to the fact that he had a batch of cookies distracting him.

Jazz and Tucker were going to Clockwork's and then bring him to the real world. The peace treaty still needed to be finalized, and it was better to have his input. The Observants wouldn't be coming because of their oath to watch and never act. They were convinced that they were pushing it by agreeing to punish treaty-breakers.

Danny, Sam and Dani were going to find the ghosts that Danny had met in the past. They thought it was a good idea to do so. Maybe they would help them with Walker.

Wulf was staying behind, no matter what. It was better if he stayed out of the action. If assistance was needed, Jack and Maddie would provide it, not Wulf.

They all gathered in the lab. Danny was going to fly Tucker and Jazz to Clockwork's citadel, with some help from Sam and Dani. The Specter Speeder was still nonexistent from its last visit to the Ghost Zone, during which it had been blasted to pieces by ghosts.

It was time to go. Danny stood there awkwardly with his friends and sisters. Sure, his parents had never really been a part of Team Phantom, but they had never _known_ that they weren't, and therefore hadn't felt left out. This time, they knew what they were missing.

At last, he spoke. "So... we're going now... I guess."

"Oh. R-right," his mom replied. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Be careful," she whispered in his ear. She let go after a while, somewhat reluctantly, then went over to hug Dani, followed by a warm embrace from Jazz.

Danny glanced at his father. "See ya, Dad." Jack nodded in reply, his mouth full of cookies.

"Wait!" Tucker called. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny web-cam. He attached it to the part of Danny's suit that was the DP insignia, where it was concealed quickly since it was a type of spyware. "There. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, you have a way of knowing everything that goes on while we're in the Ghost Zone. Once I do this," he said, making his way over to a computer in the lab. With a few taps of the keys and a couple clicks of the mouse, the two devices were synced. An image appeared, showing the web-cam's view. Danny moved around, making the picture move as well.

"Thanks Tucker," Maddie said, her relief of knowing what would be going on with her children obvious in her voice.

Sam and Danny looked at each other. Simultaneously, they transformed. Dani quickly followed suit. With a brief wave to Jack, Maddie and Wulf, the teens linked arms and set off through the portal.

The journey to where Clockwork lived was a fast one. Tucker, Sam and Danny's knowledge of what the Ghost Zone contained and how to navigate it had really improved. In what seemed like almost no time at all, their destination was visible.

Danny suddenly realized something. "Sam, you should probably become human again. If we meet anyone, they won't know who you are." She nodded and did so.

Clockwork was waiting for them outside his home. "Hello. I've been expecting you. But I'm not the only one." He flew through his door without explaining. Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jazz and Dani exchanged a glance before following the ghost, confused. They weren't for long though.

A sizable group of ghosts stood before them. At the very front was Skulker, with his arms crossed and a grin on his face; the Lunch Lady, who holding a turkey, much to Sam's displeasure; Desiree; and the Box Ghost, who had a muzzle obstructing his mouth. Behind them stood Johnny 13, who was leaning on his bike, Kitty next to him; Penelope Spectra in her shadow form, her assistant, Bertrand, at her side and Technus, his mullet still present. Ember, guitar in hand, was far away from Skulker—it was apparent by the dirty looks she kept shooting him that they were still on bad terms. Youngblood was floating above everyone's heads, his skeleton parrot perched on his shoulder. Sidney Poindexter hovered near him, black and white as always. Dora was at the far end of the room, her dragon body taking up a lot of space. Amorpho seemed to be distancing himself from everyone else as he lazily shifted from one form to another, looking as bored as you can without a face. Off to one side, Frostbite and some of his people had gathered. He raised his arm in greeting, a huge grin on his face.

Clockwork, omniscient as he was, responded to the unasked inquiries of the half-ghosts and humans. "Since I know everything, I understood that it would be best if I brought those who would be willing to talk to you, if not assist you, here. There was a surprisingly large amount of ghosts who would do at least one." His tone implied that he hadn't been surprised at all, not that he should have.

"Thanks, that makes things much easier," Danny said gratefully to Clockwork. To the crowd of ectoplasmic beings, he said, "Thanks for coming here."

"Don't get used to us bending to your every whim, whelp," snapped Skulker. "If it weren't for that treaty thing, with the added bonus of the possibility of kicking Walker's butt, the majority of us wouldn't be here."

"Hey," Danny said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Why you're here is your business. You don't have to like us to help us."

Skulker acknowledged this with a nod, his mechanical suit making noises as he did so. "I have to say, if it weren't for that recreation centre, I'd have a hard time keeping the peace. Whoever came up with that is a genius."

Tucker was about to say something, but Jazz, Sam and Danny each gave him a stern look (Sam's was more of a glare) and he closed his mouth, pouting slightly at the loss of a good bragging opportunity. They turned back to Ember, who had begun to speak.

"It pains me to say this, but Skulker's right."—Said ghost scowled at the once-famous pop star as he was dissed—"That agreement is the only reason most of us aren't attacking you at this moment. I personally don't want to mess up my chance of performing again." Seeing the worried faces of her ex-adversaries, she added, "Oh, relax. I won't try and be all-powerful again. Ruling the world no longer interests me. Even if it did, it'd be more trouble than it's worth."

"So, each one of you is going to obey the new laws," Sam stated, waiting for them to deem it true or false. They all nodded.

"And how many of you are going to help us deal with Walker?" Danny asked.

Many of the ghosts' grinned maliciously and menacingly. "None of us are leaving, even if you wish it," said Desiree. After a second's pause, she corrected herself. "Well, I would have to. But it would be against my will."

Danny blinked in shock. There was about twenty-five ghosts in total. With the added number of himself, Dani and Sam, they outnumbered Walker and his goons. Not by much, but enough to give them an advantage.

_Oh, come on,_ Sam complained. _We've beaten Walker before as just the two of us. Why do we have to work with all these guys?_

_Because it's best to learn to learn to use teamwork. The new laws and lifestyle we're going to have are things we need to get used to. Especially since you and I are part of law-enforcement, _Danny replied.

_Not to mention the fact that you worry too much about the ones you love, and hope that more ghosts will protect us indirectly._ Sam smiled as she thought this. It wasn't something she would ever willingly said out loud. But, the problem with your thoughts is—for lack of a better definition—they are what you think.

Though he didn't want them to, his thoughts betrayed him, proving Sam was correct. _Oh man,_ Danny suddenly realized. _How am I supposed to keep her Christmas or birthday gifts a secret from her?_

_I celebrate Hanukkah, thank you very much. And to answer your question, it'll be next to impossible to hide anything from each other. Oh well. At least our relationship will be an honest one._

Dani noticed that Sam and Danny seemed to be having another silent conversation and that everyone was waiting for Danny to talk. Sighing internally, she addressed the room's occupants for her brother. "Thanks again." After glancing at the half-ghost couple (who were still staring at one another as they communicated telepathically), Dani spilled the news of their psychic link and Sam's new status as a halfa. Once she finished with the explanation, she nudged the Goth in the side with her elbow, hissing, "Sam!" This gave Dani what she wanted, which was the other girl's attention, so she said, "Show them your ghost half."

Sam huffed softly, annoyed that her chat with Danny had been interrupted. Nevertheless, she went ghost.

Two green-white rings split from Sam's middle. One went down, changing her black skirt and purple tights into a pair of black pants, while her black combat boots appeared unchanged. The ring's pair went up, making her black tank top lose the purple oval and gain the green intertwined letters of Sam Phantom's initials. Moving around her arms, the almost-white green circle covered them with black elbow-length gloves. It slid up over her head and changed her hair from ebony to ivory. Her eyes, which had been closed in concentration, opened to reveal that they had become the colour of green ectoplasm.

Potent and stunned silence followed her metamorphosis. Then:

"I am the Box Ghost!"

"Oh will you _shut up?__!_" everyone shouted at him.

He cowered back, said "Beware!" in a small voice, but obeyed after that.

Johnny groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I thought you put a muzzle on that guy," he remarked to Skulker, who frowned.

"I did. He must have ripped it off." Sure enough, the muzzle currently lay on the floor at the Box Ghost's feet.

"Can I kiss him out of here?" Kitty begged. "It doesn't have to be permanent. Just long enough to give us a break from his annoying-ness."

"Now, now. Box Ghost isn't all that bad," Lunch Lady cooed. "I for one find his mannerisms endearing." She flashed a smile at him. He returned it uncertainly, unsure of how to take her compliment.

Everyone grimaced in unison. Dani and Youngblood, however, were controlling the urge to laugh aloud; her hand over her mouth, both of his holding his sides, two sets of shoulders shaking.

"O... K..." Danny said slowly, drawing out each letter. "We need a plan for confronting Walker." In saying this, he was sufficiently changing the subject as well as springing into action. One had to hand it to Danny for multitasking, a difficult task for any teenage boy to achieve.

The ghosts all looked at each other. "Well, I think we may have an idea," said Technus. "We discussed it a few minutes before you arrived. Here's what it is..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Aaaaaand, cue commercial break! Imagine the camera zooming out and fading to black and all that stuff.

Please review. It'll be like a late birthday gift for me. *giant Bambi eyes* Pweeese?


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **I changed my summary. Sorry if that caused some confusion. Hehe. For those of you who have seen it already, WOOHOO! For those of you too lazy to go check out the new one yourself, here it is:

_Post PP: The world is safe and it's time to regain relative normalcy. Key word: relative. Danny's life now involves being a hero, a revealed secret, a new relationship, a shock of a change, the return of a friend, a new way of life and so much more._

I'm hoping this is better than the past ones I've had. I hated my previous attempts at summarizing my story.

Oh, and I edited Chapter 9. It's way different now, but it doesn't change anything in the story, so don't worry. Check it out if you want. I'm much prouder of how it is now than how it was.

Super duper sorry about taking so long to update. I was suffering from some _**major**_ writer's block.

* * *

Jack and Maddie regarded the webcam with fixed fascination. Despite the fact that they'd invented things to help them navigate the Ghost Zone (like the Specter Speeder), they'd never really used those inventions. The only time they'd ever seen that dimension was during the Ghost King/Fright Knight/Vlad fiasco. From then on, they had avoided it, preferring to let the ghosts come to them. They told themselves and others that it was because of convenience, but truth be told, they were scared of the Ghost Zone.

Although, as they sat in front of the computer screen, it was apparent that there was no need to fear it. It was a phobia; like fearing the dark. There was no logical reason to be afraid of it.

In fact, the Ghost Zone was amazing: Green ectoplasm, purple doors, floating rocks, repulsing rivers, hungry canyons, infinite realms, numerous portals, thousands of ghostly inhabitants... It was eerily beautiful. Maddie made a mental note to check it out herself once the laws were officially in place.

Danny, Sam, Dani, Jazz and Tucker had arrived at Clockwork's home now. Both parents gasped when they saw how many ghosts were waiting there—never had they expected such a large number. They heard Danny thank the ghosts for coming. Maddie's heart swelled with pride. He remembered his manners! It was a dream come true. She listened to her son's discussion with the crowd about what to do about Walker. Sounded like a good plan.

Their job done, Tucker and Jazz stood next to Clockwork, ready to go home. Danny was turned in his sister's direction, so the camera was focused on her. Maddie studied Jazz's face. Her daughter's eyes were filled with a fire. Maddie remembered the first time that fire appeared in those eyes.

It was Danny's sixth birthday. The little boy was ecstatic, understanding that "birthday" loosely translated meant "presents". And he was hoping for one present in particular: a model rocket. He hadn't told anybody about what was on his wish list. The rocket was expensive and he knew the chances of him getting it were very low, though he couldn't help but hope that someone would have splurged on his gift.

Maddie spent hours preparing the house for the party guests. Anti-ghost weapons; blueprints of anti-ghost weapons and inventions; proto-portals; and notes, figures, calculations, plans and drawings for proto-portals were splayed everywhere. Not one of their prototypes worked—nor would any until eight years later. Version 1,127.3 would be the one to give Danny his ghost powers.

Sam and Tucker were the first of the guests to arrive. After them, the floodgates opened. Aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents entered Fenton Works, each carrying brightly coloured packages. Danny unwrapped all of them with vigor and an expression of hope and excitement. But his grin would fade into a polite smile with each opened box. None of them contained what he longed for. Disappointed, Danny faked enthusiasm with each NASA poster, hand-knitted sweater and video game, thanking every gift-giver with a hug. The stuff he had received for his birthday was really great, he told himself. He should really be grateful.

Cake was announced and the kids ran into the kitchen. Danny blew out his six candles, squeezing his eyes shut for one last wish, one last hope. Even though his suspicions that the model being too expensive had been confirmed, he still wished. Maddie cut the cake and the pieces were handed out, children first.

It was then that everyone realized Jazz was missing.

There was a wild scramble as Fentons and Smiths (Maddie's maiden name) searched the entire house for the eight-year-old red-head. Alicia, Maddie's sister, discovered the disappearance of Jazz's bike. Jack was quick to assume that a ghost had kidnapped his daughter, making Alicia roll her eyes. Maddie patiently pointed out the facts—Jazz had probably gone for a bike ride around town.

"That's what the ghost would want us to think," Jack objected. Maddie gave up after that.

Danny sat at the table in the kitchen, picking at his cake, Sam and Tucker on either side of him. They wracked their brains for Jazz's location in vain. Even Danny was stumped. He and his sister were close and told each other everything—though that would change around the time Jazz turned eleven. If he didn't know where she was, chances were no one else could.

Since there were more kids than adults, everyone just stayed put. The kids played amongst themselves, the teenagers used various electronics and topics to entertain themselves and the adults sat around and talked about anything and everything.

Every Fenton and Smith played the waiting game.

Jazz finally came home just under an hour and a half after she had been declared absent without leave. She had on a backpack and her hair was dishevelled from her bike helmet. She was greeted by a group hug from many relatives, a frantic mother and a worried father. She remained tight-lipped about where she had gone off to. She went up to her room and didn't come down until the end of the evening.

The last cousin waved goodbye and shut the door behind him with a click. Jazz heard it from her bed and headed downstairs to face the anger of her parents. Her hands were behind her back as she slunk into the kitchen, where her parents were sitting and waiting for her. Danny was in the living room pretending to play with his presents.

Jazz slowly looked up from the floor to meet her parents' gazes. Her eyes held an apology and shone with a fire. Maddie scowled as only a mother can while Jack's face was stern.

"What were you thinking?" Maddie burst out. Jazz opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off. "Nothing! You _weren't_ thinking!"

Jack added, "We're very disappointed in you, Jasmine Fenton." She flinched as well as winced when her full name was used. She'd only heard it seven times in memory.

"Now," Maddie said, placing a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes in an effort to calm down and keep her voice level. "Would you care to explain your sudden disappearance earlier this evening?"

This request seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as Jazz didn't say anything. After a couple of deep breaths Jazz whispered almost inaudibly, "I'll tell you if Danny joins our conversation."

Maddie started to object but Jack put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She glanced at her husband, then nodded at her daughter. "Danny?" she called. "Can you come in here for a moment?"

"OK," came Danny's timid reply. The raven-haired boy entered the room, his blue eyes filled with questions.

Jazz walked over to her little brother. "Here you go," she said, drawing a crudely-wrapped box from behind her back. "Happy birthday."

Danny hesitantly took the box from his sister. "Um... Thanks." He peeled off the shiny paper gingerly, as if tearing it would cause what lay inside to explode. Once he finished the task, he held in his hand a spectacular sight.

The build-it-yourself model rocket he had wished and dreamed and hoped for.

"How...?" he trailed off, his face showing his disbelief and growing excitement.

Jack and Maddie sat in their seats, stunned. They along with Jazz had given Danny a group gift of NASA posters. Never had it occurred to them that those might not be what Danny truly wanted.

But it had occurred to Jazz.

Danny took this time to leave his family alone to talk. The Fenton parents stared at their daughter in frank admiration. Jazz cast her eyes downward and shuffled her feet, embarrassed. "Look, Danny's been staring at that rocket through its store window for months now. I didn't say anything to you guys because it's expensive and I hoped someone else would show up with it as their present for him. When nobody did, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands.

"I grabbed a backpack along with the money I've been saving since my last birthday and slipped out as Danny was unwrapping that sweater from Grandma. I didn't tell you I was going because a; you wouldn't let me, b; you wouldn't be able to drive me and c; you wouldn't think it important enough to go during that moment in the first place. So I biked all the way down to the mall, went to the store in question and bought the rocket. Then I came home. It's a long bike ride; I didn't make any pit stops and it still took me about an hour and twenty minutes.

"When I got home, I went upstairs to wrap the gift. I don't think I did a very good job in that part, but it's the thought that counts."

Her mom and dad got up and gave her a hug. When they let go, Maddie looked Jazz in straight in the eye. "What you did was very sweet. But you're still going to be punished for not telling us where you were going." After the eight-year-old nodded, Maddie smile and whispered, "I'm really proud of you."

Jazz was grounded for a week. She spent the time reading or talking and playing with Danny. The model rocket had been surprisingly easy for Danny to put together. He did all by himself—Jazz watching and beaming—grinning from ear to ear. He thanked Jazz for it about a million times. He loved it and kept it through every spring cleaning. It never left his room and it stayed in perfect condition.

Until, when Danny was fourteen, Skulker smashed it with his boot.

He was dejected when the model was destroyed. It meant a lot to him since it was a symbol and a reminder that despite the sibling fights, they still loved each other. Though, he did manage to restore the rocket.

On Christmas Eve, Danny took advantage of the truce of the ghosts. When Desiree was granting his first wish to set things right, he made another one. And later that night, he found that she had granted that one as well. His rocket was on his desk in its original condition; good as new.

From his sixth birthday onwards, Jazz would always look out for her little brother—sometimes to the point of being nosy and annoying. Like the time she had signed Danny up for therapy... from a ghost. Maddie chuckled as she remembered that story.

Hearing his wife's laughter, Jack glanced at her. In an instant he understood that she was taking a walk down memory lane. After being married to her for twenty-two years he had at least learned and remembered that. He smiled and focused back on the computer screen.

After a few minutes, he tapped Maddie on the shoulder. Her head snapped up and she was alert. "What did I miss?"

"Just their journey to Walker's. See, there's his prison." He pointed at the webcam's picture.

Maddie's maternal instincts were going haywire. They were screaming at her to be there with her half-ghost son and daughter, but she ignored them, trusting that Danny would keep himself and his little sister safe.

"Go get 'em, you two," she murmured.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know it's a little random to include, but I don't really care. The next chapter will be much better, I promise. And it'll be out in a couple of days. I hope.

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Is it really here? IT IS!

Three and a half months, sixteen rough drafts and several cases of writer's block later, Chapter 17 has finally emerged. Enjoy!

* * *

Danny Phantom peered around a floating rock at Walker's prison. There were guards on every corner and entrance. _I can do this,_ he told himself.

_Indeed you can,_ Sam agreed. Their psychic link seemed pretty strong considering the fact that they were quite far away from each other. Sam was a fair distance from the prison with Dani and the other ghosts.

Encouraged, Danny turned invisible and soared over the building. Once directly above the roof, he became Danny Fenton and let himself fall through it. He reverted to ghost form seconds before he hit the floor inside. _OK. So where am I?_ He glanced around, trying to get his bearings. At that moment, he heard footsteps around the corner heading in his direction. Not wanting trouble, he went invisible again and pressed himself against the opposite wall. Walker appeared. _Found him, _he told Sam, who relayed the message to the others.

Walker strolled past Danny, who followed him and was eventually led to the prison warden's office. He sped through the open door before it was closed. Walker sat down at his desk and began muttering to himself.

"Darn that ghost kid. I'd bet anything he's hiding Wulf in the human world again. How are we supposed to get back there? His portal seems to have disappeared, and we can't find another one." Walker shook his head, picked up a pen and started to write down a memo to his guards. Danny took this as an opportunity to talk.

"Well, that's because my portal sorta short-circuited. But now it's up and running again."

Walker's head whipped around as he searched for the source of the voice. "Show yourself, punk." He was pleasantly surprised when the teenaged boy did so.

"Hey, Walker. Pleased to see me?" Danny crossed his arms, expression blank.

"Yes I am. I never thought you'd turn yourself in. Not that I'm complaining." Walker made a move to grab a weapon that was lying on his desk.

"Ah ah ah," Danny scolded, zapping the weapon with a ghost ray, bouncing it out of reach. "Just hear me out. I have something to tell you."

Intrigued, Walker leaned back in his chair. He motioned for the half-ghost to speak.

Danny cleared his throat. "So, my friend Tucker is mayor of Amity Park now. He came up with this ghost and human peace treaty thing. Basically, it means that peace is the law now." He paused to ask silently, _How am I doing?_

_Just fine. Keep going._

"Anyways, I came to ask if you would let bygones be bygones."

Walker's eyes narrowed. "But that would mean letting someone go. And that's not going to happen on my watch." He pressed a button on the underside of his desktop as he said this.

The room filled with a fog. Coughing, Danny asked, "W-what is this?"

Mouth slowly turning up at the corners, Walker answered, "It's sleeping gas. One of my guards got some for me from your world, back when your portal was still open. Since you're only half of one it won't last as long as it would for a full human. But we only need you to be knocked out long enough for us to put you behind bars. Enjoy your sleep, ghost boy."

Thinking quickly, Danny told Sam,_ Go to Plan B_. Then everything went black.

* * *

**COMMERCIAL BREAK:**

**Eat at McDonald's! It's full of chemicals, fat and calories, plus it tastes good! What's not to love? And now back to Danny Phantom!**

* * *

Jack and Maddie gasped. "Danny!" they cried. They watched as Walker called one of his guards into the room. The guard approached their son. The image on the computer screen jiggled and they knew that he had been lifted up. A doorway passed and then walls and part of the ceiling. Danny was being taken to a prison cell.

The boy's mother started freaking out. "Oh, Jack, I _knew_ we should have gone with them! We should go there right now." She shot out of her chair and moved towards the Fenton Portal. But her husband grabbed her hand and she stopped.

"Maddie, calm down. It's just sleeping gas. He'll be alright. Besides, he's a Fenton! And a Fenton knows how to deal with ghosts."

She stood there, unmoving, contemplating what Jack had said. She sighed. "I guess you're right." Maddie sat down with a slightly dejected look on her face. A minute passed. "But if he's there for more than an hour with no help, I'm going."

"Fair enough."

_

* * *

_

_Danny?_ Sam thought. There was no response what-so-ever and she felt as though part of her brain had shut down. _Oh, man. This isn't good. _She turned to the ghosts that stood near her. "Something went wrong. We've got to use our back-up plan and get in there as soon as possible."

The ghosts all smiled. "Perfect," Skulker replied. "One last hunt before that truce becomes official."

"Let's get this show on the road," said Ember eagerly. The Box Ghost nodded and flew off.

"Wait for the signal," Sam breathed.

They all waited. Abruptly, boxes came out of nowhere and sped towards the prison wall, their contents smashing against each other to produce loud crashes. The guards that were outside flew over to investigate the commotion. Box Ghost returned, grinning and chuckling quietly.

"Now!" Sam commanded.

Skulker's battle suit whipped out a gun with multiple barrels. Hundreds of spectral paralysis darts whizzed out and pricked every single guard. With a collective shout, they fell to the ground.

"C'mon!" Dani whispered, leading the ghosts into battle. Skulker gagged the guards with ecto-goo to stop their yelling as he passed them.

They stopped up short at the front door. Sam transformed and jumped through it. There was a click and the door opened. They found themselves in an empty hallway. After walking along it, they passed the cafeteria. It was devoid of guards and of prisoners. Lunch Lady took it as an opportunity to cover herself in meat, creating her Meat Monster form. Sam was disgusted and kept moving forward. They reached the end of their hallway and turned left.

When they did, they found themselves face-to-face with twelve of Walker's guards. All of them were armed and wore expressions of surprise.

The two groups of ghosts just stared at each other in shocked silence for a moment. Then Dani cried, "Charge!" and fired an ecto-blast at their enemies. Skulker, Ember and the others grinned and obeyed willingly. Series of punches and kicks were thrown from both sides.

No one noticed two very human girls walk through a wall and out of sight.

Both of them went ghost and Dani asked, as if making conversation, "So… Where's Danny?"

"I have no idea," Sam replied mater-of-factly.

"How is that possible? You guys have a telepathic connection!"

"He went unconscious before he could tell me anything. All I know from his thoughts is that he doesn't want to be in jail again. Walker probably locked him up. Where exactly, I don't know."

"Walker probably knows…"

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, let's just go ask him." Danielle giggled, her laugher bouncing off the walls of the prison.

"Hey!" A voice from around a corner called out. "Who's there?"

"Uh oh," the halfas whispered, going invisible by pure instinct.

Bullet appeared in the hallway. "That's peculiar…" he muttered. He started walking towards where Dani and Sam were standing. They moved off to the side, but the hallway was very small. Bullet was going to walk through them. Dani tried to phase through the wall behind them, but it felt like trying to push her human form through something in the real world. _If only we had remained human,_ Dani thought.

Bullet was only a couple of inches from them when his walkie-talkie went off.

"Bullet!" Walker's voice barked. Sighing, Bullet unclipped the device from his belt.

"Yes, sir?"

"We caught Danny Phantom. He's in cell seven hundred and eighty-two. I want you to go and try to use his portal again. I want Wulf back in my jail, where he belongs. Oh, and do something about the ghosts attacking the guards in the hallway near the cafeteria. That is all." There was a click and then silence.

Bullet made an about-face to presumably carry out Walker's orders. Sam and Dani sighed in relief.

Once they were sure he had left, the girls let themselves appear visible. "Uh oh," Dani said again. "Mom and Dad don't know that ghost is going to try to get in through our portal. I hope the lock Danny activated works."

"It did the trick last time, it should do the trick now. Besides, we gotta get to Danny since we know where he is." Sam switched to human form and jumped through a wall, Dani on her heels.

* * *

In Amity Park's city hall, two teenagers and a ghost were creating something that would soon change everyone's life for the better.

They worked in relative silence since Tucker and Jazz had asked Clockwork all their questions for the time being. Both had their own jobs within the project that they were in charge of. Occasionally she would murmur something to him, helping in the making of a law or a clause.

Clockwork stood there idly, reviewing the near future, looking for anything of any importance. He soon found something interesting that he began mulling over. Not surprisingly, it involved a certain ghost boy.

"It's done!" Tucker declared, beaming. "It's finally done!"

Jazz face positively shone with pride. Clockwork's remained stony and blank. "Everything's all set. The press conference will be held in a couple of days, just in time for the new school year," she told them.

There was a moment of silence as the teens realized Clockwork's seemingly sudden mood swing. Only a moment ago he had been smiling. Now there wasn't a trace of emotion evident on his face. He appeared completely zoned out.

Tucker cleared his throat uncomfortably. The time ghost's eyes lost their glassy appearance and he looked up. "I suppose we should leave for the Fenton house then."

It was disconcerting how much Clockwork knew.

* * *

"Here we are! Cells seven hundred to eight hundred," Dani said, her tone optimistic and cheerful as she pointed to the sign she was reading off of.

"These guys expect WAY too many prisoners." Sam shook her head in disbelief. She led the way into the cell hallway, walking instead of flying. "No need to hurry, he should still be asleep right now. Might as well give him more time to wake up."

The entire area was blanketed in the heavy silence one usually finds at a graveyard. All of the cells were completely empty, which was a great contrast from the other cells they had passed on the way. Those ones had contained prisoners who either looked like they had lost all hope or like they were still full of anger for whatever reason. Sam had to admit, though he did have a habit of making up rules just to throw someone in jail, Walker did seem to have his moments of actual justice. Like the time he arrested the Ghostwriter.

"I wonder why they put Danny in cell seven-eight-two," Sam whispered to preserve the quiet. "I mean, it's not like they were going numerically."

Dani peered through the bars of yet another empty cell. "It might have something to do with Danny's last stay in prison."

Sam recalled how her boyfriend had used teamwork to bust out of jail. "That could be it. In fact, I think these individual cells are new."

They kept on walking.

* * *

Skillet threw a punch at one of his opponents. The hunter smiled as he heard the resounding clang of metal hitting jawbone. This was so much fun. With a whir he brought up some guns which shot six guards that were near him. "Hah! You are no match for Skulker!" Teaming up with Technus, together they took down even more guards using technology and weaponry.

Desiree was having a blast. The power she gained from granting the subconscious battle-inspired wishes of the ghosts around her was delicious. It almost compared to a nice cold drink of water after a long caravan ride. A guard placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to make her turn around. That she did, while she let out an angry yell. "No man may lay a hand on me unless I wish it!" The wishing ghost then proceeded to smite her foe.

Amorpho was enjoying himself. He had spent years create mayhem and now that was what he was supposed to do. Ducking around a corner, he took on the appearance of Bullet and then ran back into the middle of the action. "Quickly!" he called to some guards, who turned at his commanding tone. "Follow me!" He ran back around the corner. The shapeshifter smiled as the guards' footsteps sounded behind him.

Walker's goons did as they had been told... to find that it was a trap. Ember and Amorpho in his own shape were waiting for them. "Good bye!" the ghostly popstar sang before knocking the guards out with a glowing green fist from her guitar.

* * *

"Seven hundred sixty, seven hundred sixty-one, seven hundred six—"

"Would you stop that?" Sam burst out.

Dani's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't realize that I was counting out loud."

Smiling empathetically_,_ the Goth ghost said, "It's OK. Danny used to do the similar stuff when we were younger." They both laughed at this.

Flashes of memories sparked in Sam's mind. Danny muttering the names of spaceships, Danny narrating space missions in a whisper, Danny murmuring Dumpty Humpty song lyrics (that one had been last week). Danny had always been oblivious and prone to zoning out. And that was just another reason why she loved him.

_Wow, Manson,_ she thought to herself. _I think Danny's corny-ness is rubbing off on you. If you're not careful, your reputation will be totally and completely destroyed_.

"Seven hundred and eighty-two!" Dani cried. She shot up off the ground so she was eye level to the cell window. "He's in here alright! But he's still asleep. How're we gonna wake him up?"

Sam placed a hand to her chin. "Hmm..." She concentrated on the link she shared with the ghost boy. The silence wasn't so deafening anymore. "The sleeping gas's effects are lightening, but he'll still be out for a while longer. But we should at least get him out of there."

A green-white ring appeared at her waist and split, one going up and the other down. Now human, Sam stepped through the cell door with ease. A whoosh told her that Dani had done the same. The two girls examined the sleeping Danny. Danielle slapped his cheek lightly, but he remained unresponsive as ever.

She asked, "So how do we get him through the door? He's in ghost form."

"One of us has to overshadow him," replied Sam.

"OK." Dani stepped back a bit. Sam looked at her, puzzled. "Carry on," she said, smirking and waving an arm over her brother, like a game show host presenting a _BRAND-NEW-CAR!_

"What? Why me?"

"Because I don't like overshadowing people! It takes up too much energy. Plus, I've never heard of a sleeping person being overshadowed. I don't know if it's a good idea."

"And why would me doing it be any different?"

"Since you can't take full control, it can be assumed that Danny would remain slumbering so there'd be less of a risk."

Sam stared at the younger girl. "You know, you really sounded like Jazz when you said that."

Dani let out a low growl. "Just get on with it already."

"OK, OK, stop nagging." Sam readied herself for the task. Deciding to stay human, she went intangible and lay down into Danny's sleeping form. It was a bizarre feeling. She doubted she would ever get used to it. It was similar to wearing another person's body for a suit.

She and Danny's body stood up. With great difficulty and concentration, she brought forth the rings that were so white they looked blue. Danny Phantom became Danny Fenton. He was still sleeping though.

Once that was done, Sam realized she had a problem.

"Uh, Danielle? I can't open his eyes."

The sentence was as strange to say as it was to hear. Restraining a giggle, Dani offered some help. "Don't worry, I'll guide you." She reached out and grabbed Sam's—no, Danny's—hand to do so. Fairly easily, the two girls left the containment chamber.

Sam sat Danny down and then left his body. She shuddered. "That's so weird on so many levels."

Danny let out a light snore. Both girls snickered.

After inspecting closely, Dani saw that the webcam was still working, though it was attached to Danny's t-shirt rather than his jumpsuit. "I wonder what Tucker did to make it stay with him," she murmured, thinking out loud. She then remembered who was on the other end of the camera. "Hey, Mom and Dad," she said brightly, sending them a wave.

Maddie, back in Amity Park, turned on the microphone and replied, "Hey sweetie! Keep up the good work." She considered leaving the mic on, but she thought better of it and switched it off. She told herself to relax. It didn't work.

Turning back to Sam, Dani asked, "So do we carry him or are you going to use your telekinesis?"

"Telekinesis, of course." Sam went ghost, eye tightly shut to help her focus. Opening her eyes again, she stared hard at her boyfriend. Slowly he rose into the air. He was difficult to lift; Sam guessed it was more because of mass than weight.

Once Danny was floating steadily about three feet off the ground, she said, "Well, at least this is a nice change from the damsel in distress bit... C'mon, let's go."

Dani and Sam walked back the way they came, walking slowly in hopes that Danny would wake up soon. And considering the length of the hallway, the chances of that happening were in their favor.

* * *

"So how's everyone doing?"

Jack and Maddie jumped in their seats when Jazz suddenly spoke directly behind them. "It's going good," her father told her.

"Danny's unconscious at the moment, though," added her mother, a trace of anxiety still in her voice.

Jazz smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mom, he'll be fine."

Maddie sighed. "I know. But I can't help it. Plus I'm also worried about Danielle. I feel like I should be a better mother."

Jazz gave her a hug. "You raised me and Danny just fine. He's a hero now. And Danielle, being Danny's clone, can handle fighting ghosts."

Maddie smiled and hugged her daughter back. "You always know the right thing to say."

Laughing, Jazz replied, "I'm planning on majoring in psychology this fall. I'd better know that at the very least." Jack smiled as he watched the Fenton women.

Tucker stood off to the side, unsure of his place in the Fenton family bonding. So he went for what he knew best and began fiddling with his ever-present PDA.

* * *

"Fifty-seven bottles of pop on the wall, fifty-seven bottles of pop. You take one down, pass it around. Fifty-six bottles of pop on the wall," sang Dani softly.

Sam groaned. She knew that she had agreed to let the younger girl sing, but it was still driving her crazy. "Where did you learn that song anyway?" she asked, interrupting Danielle as she sang "pass it around".

She shrugged absent-mindedly. "I heard some family singing it on a road trip. I stowed away in their van on the way back to Amity Park when I was too tired to fly." She went back to singing.

Sam listened to the younger girl for a minute, then she asked, "Was it fun, living out on your own?"

Dani stopped mid-word. A few seconds went by before she answered. "I had a lot of interesting times. Not necessarily good times, but memorable just the same. It was hard living out in the world by myself. Hard to get food, hard to earn money, hard to survive. I ran into a couple of ghosts, some good and some bad. A lot of things added up to tell me I needed someone to care for me. So I came back here to talk to Danny and now I have a home."

For someone so young and naïve, she sure had seen a lot. What it must be like to be the clone, Sam speculated. She pondered the concept while focusing her attention on keeping Danny suspended in the air.

At the same time, Dani sighed and sank into her memories, soon losing herself in them.

* * *

Dani was exhausted. She had been wandering for days. Her ghost form was stable so she wasn't worried about that. But she was worried about where she would sleep. After flying around some more (while struggling to keep her eyes open and stay airborne), she came across an empty home. Peeking in through a window, she concluded that it wasn't abandoned; the owners were just out for the night. She soon found a room that seemed to have been unoccupied for months. The bookshelves were dusty; the bed looked stiff, like it hadn't been used for a while; and the drawers were slightly open and devoid of clothes. She collapsed on the mattress, sighing in contentment.

Dani was a half-ghost nomad. She was miles and miles away from Amity Park and nowhere near Wisconsin. Why had she left as soon as she was stabilized? She tried to tell herself that it was because she wanted to travel, but deep in her heart she knew it wasn't so. The real reason was that she was running from her past.

Life with Vlad, now that she looked back at it, had been disguised slavery. The other clones had carried out his dirty work or jobs, like checking up on his Ecto-Filtrator, cleaning his lab, recruiting minions or allies, and sometimes cleaning the entire mansion. But she, Danielle Phantom, had been Vlad's favourite out of the group. Grimacing, Dani remembered how proud that had made her feel. It had been _her_—not the other clones, which were never even named by Vlad; that honor he had bestowed upon her alone—that had been appointed leader in carrying out one of Vlad's side-plots. He had had many different plans in progress at once, all leading to a large goal: world domination and ultimate power. But that was another story. The objective she was in charge of was getting Daniel (called Danny by his friends) Fenton's DNA.

At the time, Dani hadn't a clue as to why Vlad wanted what he did, but in the six months she had been alive, she had been raised to not question, only obey. And obey she did.

It was her that ordered the skeleton/bed sheet clone to attack Danny at the miniature golf course. When that hadn't worked, she contrived a more elaborate plan.

Without much difficulty, she learned where he lived. So she flew in through his window and avoided his parents. Of course, he was still out for a while so she found his comic books and entertained herself by reading one of them. When Danny finally arrived, he changed back. But by the time she realized he had, it was too late to get a sample. She scolded herself for not paying enough attention to get it. But at least her plan would still work.

When Dani asked if they had food, she hadn't expected them to have so much. Vlad had never let her eat much more than a slice of bread. She pigged out, eating all that she could. She did reach a set back in her plan though when Danny wanted to go talk to his parents about her. So she ran back into his room and jumped out the window, transforming in midair. She told the muscled ghost to attack and hid behind a parked car, becoming human as she did. Then she exposed her ghost half in order to gain his trust. Destroying the clone wasn't preferable, but it had to be done.

Dani shuddered as she remembered how similar she had been to Vlad.

The morning after, she left the house before Danny woke up. Using a pay phone, she called Vlad and told him to fly to Amity Park. Then she ordered the small clone to attack and cause mayhem in the cafeteria on her signal. She got Danny to follow the clone without a problem. Once they raced after it, she let him pull ahead and let Vlad take over.

It was very symbolic, Dani reflected, that she struck Danny from behind. She had pretended to be his friend (or rather, his third cousin once removed) and then stabbed him in the back.

Watching the one that she was a clone of being tortured had been weird. A part of her almost felt for him. But she told that part to shut up. He was, after all, the enemy.

But later, she wondered if he really was the enemy. Vlad's words had hurt her more than Danny ever had. Was she a mistake? Even though Vlad denied it, what she had overheard had her doubting him. When Danny said the same thing, it caught her off guard. So she fell upon all she had ever known; she followed orders. She ignored the feeling of her strength dwindling as she carried the boy back down to the lab.

Dani remembered the pain and turmoil she had experienced when she found out that she meant as much to her "father" as the other clones had. With that one sentence, "You exist to serve me!" Vlad's lies had been exposed.

Dani hadn't known where to go. She didn't want to be near Danny since the sight of him brought back the memories of the evil she had done and she _definitely_ didn't want to live with Vlad.

So she ran. Or flew actually. The only happy thought on her mind was "I'm free."

But her freedom was short-lived.

Barely two weeks passed before Vlad sent his vultures after her. They trailed her months, relentlessly. No matter what she did, they found her. No matter where she went, they followed her.

Her saving grace had been a portal to the Ghost Zone. A natural one appeared in front of her and she shot through it without a second's hesitation. This got her away from Vlad's minions but it gave her other problems to worry about.

Because of her ghost half, she didn't have to rest or eat as much as humans. But because of her human half, she couldn't swear off food and sleep forever like a ghost could.

Ghost food had been odd to eat. There was always a strange aftertaste to everything. But at least it was free. She found a friend, the Lunch Lady. She had been kind, albeit crazy at times, and Dani would eternally be grateful to her. The older ghost kept her safe and gave her a place to stay. But Dani never felt safe in her home, so one day, she said goodbye and left.

Deciding that Vlad must have given up on finding her, she returned the human world, using the Fenton portal. She had snuck out invisibly and then sped away as fast as she could.

But then Vlad got hold of her trail again. She had been chased across the country and rarely was able to stop to rest.

Things got worse when her strength began ebbing once again. Not knowing where else to go, she turned back to Danny.

This proved the right thing to do. But once she was stabilized, she once again flew off, not wanting to stick around any longer.

That's why she was where she was, hiding in someone's home, using someone else's bed. She had nowhere to go. She supposed she could go back to live with the Lunch Lady. The Ghost Zone had proved to be a better place for her than its flipside.

So the next morning she left for Amity Park to use Danny's portal.

The Lunch Lady welcomed her with open arms. Dani stayed there for a couple months, until the world was threatened by a deadly asteroid. When Danny of all people appeared in the Ghost Zone, she knew where she had to go. After saving the world, she flew back to his house and waited for him, hoping he wouldn't be too long.

Vlad hadn't been the reason for her nightmare few days ago. She wasn't afraid of Vlad, especially now that he was dead. The memories of being evil were what scared her. A truly evil person doesn't know that they are evil. And, at the time, she hadn't known at all. But looking back, she saw who she had been.

But she hadn't wanted to explain that to Danny at the time. She knew he would make a big deal about it, and she just wanted to forget it. She knew that if she told him, he would be able to sympathize, having had an evil future and self at one point. But he would never be able to truly relate because he himself had never been evil.

It was strange that a half-ghost was being haunted. Also strange that, as little experience as she had, she knew much more true darkness and evil than a person of her age usually did.

* * *

_Where is that portal?_ Bullet wondered. He and the guards that were with him had searched around the entire area but they couldn't find it. They couldn't even find a hint of where it was supposed to be.

On the other side of the portal, in the human world, Tucker was pacing. He was so used to being there with Danny—so used to not just knowing what the action was, but being a part of it—that it made him antsy just standing around. Every so often he would abruptly glance at the webcam's image and then turn away again just as abruptly. Jazz had tried to calm him down but to no avail. The only thing that would soothe his nerves was to be there in Walker's prison with his best friends.

Clockwork had left for his home. He had been their ride of a sort to City Hall and then later Fenton Works. Tucker had asked if he could take him to his friends but the ghost had refused, telling the boy, "Time will show soon that you are needed here." Then he had left in a blue swirl of light.

_You are needed here..._ The words kept repeating themselves in Tucker's mind. They were so... cryptic! Agitated, he looked back at the Fentons who were duly watching the computer screen. They all were worried to some degree about the others (though Maddie was worried enough for all of them) but they were all for different reasons. He knew in his heart that the whole ordeal would end happily. He was just saddened that he wouldn't be apart of it. Years later he would not share this memory with his two best friends. He made a sound somewhere between a huff and a sigh.

He had to find a way to entertain himself. He grabbed his PDA out from his pocket and fiddled with it. He played a game on it for a minute or two, but he mind was whirling still and he gave up on that option. After attempting another game and planning his speech for the upcoming press conference, he started making random lists. The first was one of pets he would never have (snakes was at the top). The second was of reasons why he knew that Danny and Sam would end up together. It was kind of fun. He began thinking up even more random ones. The act of list-making was surprisingly engrossing. So much so that he didn't notice the beaker on the floor in front of him until it was too late.

Tucker stepped on it and his foot pitched backward, causing him to fall flat on his face. As he went crashing to the floor, his PDA left his hand and flew over to the portal lock. The button was pressed and the portal began to open wide.

_Of course it would be a push lock,_ he thought cynically.

Jack, Maddie and Jazz turned in their chairs as they heard the mechanical noises behind them. Their eyes took in the fallen Tucker and the PDA laying near the portal. Jazz's lips formed a silent "oh no".

Inside the Ghost Zone, Bullet heard the sweet melodious sound of the portal opening. He made an about-face and took in the sight of green light. He cracked a wide grin. _Finally._

As the door opened and Tucker saw Bullet's face appear, he suddenly understood what Clockwork had meant.

* * *

**Author's Note:** How was it? Hope it was worth the wait.

Oh, and sorry about the commercial break thing. I couldn't resist.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Yes! I finally updated!

I'm sorry for the long wait. Those of you still reading, I love you each so much! Now I'm going to shut up and let you read.

* * *

Wulf calmly and messily finished the third plate of food that had been set out in front of him. He burped and reached forward for the fourth and final one.

There was a crash from downstairs. He looked up, sniffing. Varying battle cries soon filled the air.

Wulf leapt to his feet. His friends were in trouble! And by the smell of it, the one responsible was none other than Bullet. Wulf snarled. Going down on all fours, he loped across the kitchen floor then descended the stairs to the basement.

The lab was in chaos. The humans were clearly outnumbered by ghosts: Tucker was fighting off three ghosts with his PDA ray gun; Jazz and her mother had teamed up and were watching each others back as they were surrounded; Jack was using some Fenton gun against his enemies. None of the room's occupants noticed the burly furry shape approaching. With a great roar, Wulf threw himself into the fray. The only reaction Bullet and the guards had time for was to look shocked. Then Wulf tackled the leader of the group.

* * *

Sam and Dani had left the cells and were making their way back to the action. They were beginning to hear the fighting a couple of hallways down. Danny was still unconscious. The two girls rounded another corner. And then another. And another.

Dani sighed. "Let's face it, Sam. We're lost."

"We're not lost," Sam grumbled. "Stop saying we are!"

Dani grumbled unintelligibly, though a couple words such as "stubborn" and "bossy" and the phrase "we so are" could be heard if one listened closely.

Halting abruptly and causing Dani to almost crash into her, Sam froze. "What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, n-nothing!" Dani stuttered, thinking the Goth was referring to her muttered comments.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Not you. Listen!"

Faint noises similar to that of fired ghost rays and thrown punches connecting could be heard. Both girls smiled and ran towards the noise, a sleeping Danny floating after them.

Meanwhile, Danny was beginning to dream a very odd dream. First there was flickering lights that, when on, revealed a scared-looking Sam. Then a picture of Wulf came up, whining loudly. And most odd of all was a vision of Walker leering menacingly at him, saying, "You'll never get out of here, ghost punk!"

Had he been in his bed and not floating in mid-air, Danny would be tossing and turning in his sleep. He was having a nightmare, and his body was desperately attempting to wake him out of it. But the sleeping gas had Danny in its grip and it wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

Sam and Dani continued to navigate their way towards the noise. Suddenly Sam let out a cry of pain and fell to her knees.

"What is it?" Dani questioned, concern making her voice higher than usual.

"I… I don't know…" Sam gasped out, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She sat still for a moment. Dani just watched the older girl, becoming more frightened by the second. Finally Sam spoke. " I think Danny's having a nightmare," she said incredulously.

"You can feel that?"

Sam nodded slowly. "I can see a picture faintly in the back of my mind. It's all fuzzy though, almost like remembering an old dream of my own…" A pause. "Maybe I can communicate with him now."

"It should work. Studies show your brain has more power when dreaming."

"I don't even want to know how you know that."

Not bothering to listen to the young halfa's retort, Sam focused hard on her link with Danny. It was like squinting through a fog. She couldn't really see what was going on in his mind. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sent him the equivalent of a shouted message via brainwaves.

Then she waited.

Nothing.

She sighed. "Come on, Dani. Let's keep moving." Sam set off at a brisk walk, trying to hide her disappointment. It was a stab in the dark anyway.

Dani ran hurriedly to her side. "Did you try? Did he respond? Did you hear anything? Did he—"

"No," Sam snapped, turning to face her. Alarmed, Dani just blinked. "Okay? I got nothing." She continued walking towards the battlegrounds.

Dani remained frozen. Sam didn't even look back.

Eventually, padding footsteps alerted her to the other girl's approach.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just… I don't know. We're under a lot of pressure here. If we don't do this properly, the treaty probably won't work if Walker has anything to do with it. And I don't have a weapon of any kind, so if my powers short out or I collapse in exhaustion like Danny did that first time he battled the Lunch Lady, I'm basically doomed. And I don't have Tucker or Danny to come and help me out if I mess up…" she trailed off. _What's the matter with you, Manson? _she scolded herself. _This is way out of character for you. Get a grip! _

She was startled to feel Dani reach out and pat her comfortingly on her arm. It was a simple gesture, but it somehow calmed her down. "It's gonna be fine. I'm sure you've been in worse situations."

Sam thought for a minute. "Well… there was that time that I got possessed by that plant ghost. And all the times we got lost in the Ghost Zone. And the time I almost had to marry Prince Aragon."

Dani smiled. "See? You got out of those situations, right? We'll get out of this one." Sam returned the smile.

_Sam?_

So surprised was Sam to hear Danny's voice that she walked through a nearby wall instead of walking around the corner. Dumbfounded, she stood stock still when she reached the other side. Then she remembered how to think properly and quickly replied.

_Danny?_

_You're not really there, are you? I'm dreaming, right? Is that why it smells like cheese in here?_

Sam let out a relieved laugh. _I don't know why you smell cheese, but I'm really here. How are you? _Although she could still make out what Danny was saying, certain words would get fuzzed out, but it was easy to figure out what he was trying to say.

_I'm not sure. I don't even know how I'm talking to you right now. I'm hearing your voice but all I can see is a merry-go-round made up of sparkly unicorns. It's kinda creepy. Oh, and now a soup can just floated by my ear. What's in this sleeping gas anyway?_

_No idea. _

_So what's going on for you guys? I heard you freaking out a minute ago but I couldn't tell what about._

Sam filled him in on all that had happened prior to him passing out. Just as she was about to explain what she'd been distressed about earlier, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Looking down, she saw Dani looking at her curiously. "What happened?"

Sam told her.

The youngest halfa grinned and did a backflip in the air. She floated high in the air and almost brushed the ceiling, even though she was in human form. She landed far too gracefully to not be using her powers. Folding her arms and still beaming, she said, "Keep talking to him. I'm not even here."

Through their psychic link, she heard Danny laugh.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's so short, but I've decided that if I make each chapter shorter, it'll be easier to update more quickly.

Again, sorry for the wait. I've been dealing with stuff and haven't given much thought to this story lately. But, I'm planning a sequel which I hope you all will enjoy when I finally start writing it.

Please review and I'll update soon.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Hello again, readers! Sorry about the delay. I had a band trip and only just got back.

No, last chapter was not the end. I guess hinting at this story's sequel might have given that impression. To clear things up, Beginning from the End will have at least five more chapters to it, maybe more.

And now you may read!

* * *

Danny continued to laugh as he slept. _This is so weird,_ Sam thought. He agreed.

Danny appreciated the information that Sam had given him, even though parts of it had been unclear due to his unconsciousness. It annoyed him that he was unable to help. He's always been the one leading the battle. He shook himself mentally. _Sam and Dani and the others are doing just fine, _he told himself. Maybe some kind of hero complex was making him dislike being out of action so much.

It suddenly dawned on him how bizarre this whole dream-thinking was. His mind was awake yet his body was still very much asleep. Could it be because he was a half-ghost? Or perhaps the link was keeping his brain conscious? He began to ponder the concept. While he truly was trying to figure it out, he was also trying to distract himself since he couldn't do anything. The girls continued to walk towards the noises.

"There!" Dani whispered a few minutes later, peeking around a corner. Sam joined her in taking in the sight, looking over the younger girl's head.

The hallway ahead of them was a complete war zone. Walker seemed to have called for back-up somehow; the amount of guards was slightly larger than the team of ghosts that they'd brought to help them. Danny must have counted wrong or something. Yet though they were outnumbered, it didn't make a difference to the ghosts on their side. Ember, Skulker, Desiree, Frostbite, Dora and the others were all standing their ground, each one fighting like mad. Though the odds were unfavorable for them, many guards were lying on the floor, either wounded or out cold. Sam and Danielle watched with eyes wide-open with amazement. Even Danny was surprised by what Sam was subconsciously relaying to him. In that moment, things seemed to be going their way.

But that moment quickly passed.

"Well, well, well," a voice said behind them.

Sam and Dani whirled around. Walker stood there, grinning widely. It was obvious finding them had given him an ego boost. His chest was practically swelling with pride.

The girls quickly moved into fighting stances and transformed in a few quick seconds. Danny hovered helplessly near them, but Sam could tell he was struggling against his invisible bonds.

Noticing the direction of Sam's gaze, Walker turned to look at the boy. Confusion briefly flashed across his face. It was apparent he had no idea how they'd managed to get Danny to fly while sleeping. However, the expression melted back into the confident grin.

Unmoving, the Phantoms waited for Walker to do something or say something. Then, with a yell, he launched himself in their direction, not even bothering to call for his guards. This group (although he wondered what had happened to the geeky kid and who the younger girl was and why the girl with black hair suddenly had white) had caused him enough trouble in the past. This would be the last time.

It suddenly occurred to Danielle that she knew no puns or quips to throw at him while fighting. She hoped nobody would notice. She prepared herself for Walker's oncoming attack and the ones that would soon follow.

It suddenly occurred to Sam that supporting Danny with her powers was wearing her out and there was no time to set him down gently. She hoped she would be strong enough to pull this off. She readied herself for a lot of exertion.

It suddenly occurred to Tucker—far away, back home in Amity Park—that no one was monitoring the webcam anymore. He hoped his friends were still doing okay. He dodged a punch and blasted a guard with his gun.

It suddenly occurred to Maddie that she had no idea what was happening to her half-ghost children. In a surge of adrenaline, she shot down all the guards surrounding her and Jazz, knocking them out, and sprinted to the computer. A guard tried to sneak up on her but she turned quickly and sucked him into a Fenton thermos.

It suddenly occurred to Jack that he was hungry. He hoped he wouldn't miss dinner.

Back in Walker's prison, the girls were giving it their all. Yet it looked like that wouldn't be enough.

Walker threw a punch at Dani, who moved out of the way a bit late, just barely missing being hit. She tried to trip him but he jumped away and aimed for Sam, who was moving slower than usual. The Goth girl knew that her draining energy made her the obvious weak link and that the ghost warden would continue to try and go for her. She pretended to be too tired to get out of the way. At the very last second, she bent backwards speedily, arching her back until her hands hit the floor. She threw her feet up over her head, performing a lightning-fast back handspring. This startled Walker, allowing Danielle to fly up and kick him in the back. He flinched slightly but didn't falter. Unexpectedly he made an about-face and pushed Dani. She careened off to the side, momentarily losing her balance in the air. Then he directed another blow at Sam.

The back handspring had been tricky, and Sam was already a bit weary. So this new attack was more difficult to react to. With no other idea popping into her mind, she just turned intangible. Walker walked right through her. Still intangible, she attempted to fly away from him. This proved a more difficult feat than she thought. The result was that even more of her energy was ticking away and she only flew about seven feet away. Danny was floating off to the side, still being held up by her telekinesis. She decided to put him down. Focusing on what she'd been up until then doing subconsciously, she began to lower him. She was so focused that she didn't notice herself become tangible once again.

Dani sensed what Sam was trying to do and shot over to Walker, about to try to keep him busy. But Sam's distraction was not lost on the warden either. Instead of bothering to attack the thirteen-year-old, he launched himself at Sam and landed a blow to her stomach.

Sam gasped out in pain as she was thrown backwards through the air. She collided hard with a wall and dropped to the floor. Even as she tried to push it off, the green-white ring glowed around her waist then separated into two, which moved in opposite directions. Struggling to keep her head up, she saw Danny plummet towards the floor.

"NO!" the two girls cried.

There was nothing they could do. Sam cringed as she waited for his head to crack on the tile, unable to look away. He was going to have to visit a hospital after this. But instead of hitting the floor, he fell right through it.

Everyone present stared at the floor, utterly shocked.

And then Sam heard him smile.

Danny Fenton phased back up through the floor. He landed gracefully… then cried, "Goin' ghost!"

It was as dramatic a transformation as the first he'd ever done in a fight—back when the Lunch Lady was the opponent. The blue-white ring formed and split. His chest lost the t-shirt and gained a black suit with the DP insignia. His bare arms were clothed in white gloves. His sneakers changed into white boots. And he suddenly had snow-white hair and glowing green eyes.

Sam found herself softly smiling. "That's right," she whispered to herself. "In the Ghost Zone, we're the ghosts." Upon that realization, she quietly passed out in exhaustion.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Fenton Works, Maddie let out a cheer. Her son was awake!

* * *

**Author's Note:** :D YAY! DANNY'S AWAKE!

I shall update soon. I hope.

Please review!


	20. Sincere Apologies, Readers

Sorry to have to do this, but I figure I owe it to you guys.

The last time I touched this story was May 5, 2011. That's quite a long time.

This story is unfinished. I had pages and pages in notebooks of ideas and plans but I've chucked them in the recycle bin ages ago.

I didn't want to ever abandon this, but I have.

Thanks for reading this story. Your reviews and even just views were inspiring and motivating. I'm sorry I didn't finish this.

I've moved on. It happens. I don't watch Danny Phantom anymore and I haven't thought about this account or this story for a long time.

Figured I should let you know that this has actually been abandoned.

Later days.


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